Measuring Children's Digital Footprint and Using Cultural Heritage Games as a Preventive Tool

<p>Introduction: In the digital age, interacting in the virtual world, accessing information, and communicating with friends is extremely important, especially for children. However, it should not be forgotten that although technology is a tool that makes life easier, its excessive use can increase the damage caused to nature by increasing digital footprints due to excessive energy consumption and cause a decrease in the quality of sustainable life. With excessive digitalization, it is also possible that children are moving away from street games, our cultural heritage, and childhood can be dragged towards cultural degeneration. However, games are not determined randomly; they result from centuries of cultural accumulation and should not be easy to forget. The losses in our cultural values caused by spending excessive and unnecessary time on digital media can be regained by spending short and adequate time on digital media. Because today, games are trying to find life in the virtual environment. It is an essential tool that can be used to reduce the digital traces of our cultural heritage games. Due to its importance, this study aims to measure children's digital footprints and use cultural heritage games as a preventive tool. Based on this primary purpose, it is aimed to raise awareness of cultural heritage games in children through digital environments and to relieve them on the streets by transferring them from digital environments to playgrounds. The study will raise awareness in educational institutions that values can be imparted through gamification. It will give ideas to businesses about "retro brands" or "retro products" and to municipalities about how "cultural or traditional" playgrounds can be created.</p>\n<p>Theoretical Framework. Sürmelioğlu and Seferoğlu (2019) define digital footprint as all the movements of individuals in the digital world being stored and kept secret in the database. When we look at the academic literature, we see that the digital footprint is divided into active and passive. Digital footprints are called active; They are expressed as people sharing a photo, commenting under a post, or accessing location information in a message. Systems that indicate the location of technological devices such as phones, tablets, and computers are called passive traces (Girardin et al., 2008). It is expressed as cultural heritage, with a value that reflects the shared past of society, ensures continuity in the experiences and traditions of humanity, and determines the direction of the future. Cultural heritage serves as a bridge between the past and the present, forming the foundations of today's culture, being a solid reference source for future generations, and supporting people's spiritual lives (ISMEP et al., 2014: 11). It is emphasized that cultural heritage is not only the wealth of a community but also the wealth of all humanity. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all humanity to transfer and protect this heritage to future generations. In the preamble of the World Heritage Convention, it is stated that "the deterioration or destruction of any part of the cultural and natural heritage constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world," "parts of the cultural and natural heritage are of exceptional importance and are therefore part of the world heritage of all humanity." It is accepted that "it should be preserved as a part of the heritage" and that "participation in the protection of cultural and natural heritage is the duty of the entire international community" (Kuşçuoğlu & Taş, p.2017).</p>\n<p>Research Method: In this study, the survey model, which is a type of quantitative research methodology, was used. In this context, children studying in primary schools (Cumhuriyet and Marmara Primary School) that were selected as pilots or for which permission could be obtained, affiliated with the Directorate of National Education in Bandırma, were included in the scope of the research and judicial sampling was used in the selection of students in the determined schools. In order to increase the generalizability and representativeness of the research results to all students in the relevant schools, survey face-to-face data was collected from a total of 1393 people, including Cumhuriyet Primary School (799) and Marmara Primary School (594). Then, by calculating the digital footprints of children (7-11 years old or from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades), cultural heritage game activities were planned as a priority in the schools/classrooms with the highest footprint. The survey included questions regarding demographic characteristics and digital footprint test questions consisting of 9 statements. Frequency and percentage distributions for demographic characteristics were made, t-test tests were used to test the hypotheses, and games were planned in the classes/schools with the highest digital footprint levels. Before the game was played, information was given about the appropriate preventive strategy for the class. </p>\n<p><strong>Analysis Results:</strong> Digital footprint perception of Cumhuriyet and Marmara primary school students, especially in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. It was higher in the grades. It has also been determined that Cumhuriyet primary school and Marmara students spend more time with technology to play games, and most of them have a technological device. One of the results that can be considered positive, along with these results, is that the period when most children use technology is on the weekends. Among the results is that girls leave more digital footprints than boys. In addition, the digital footprint of 4th graders was lower.</p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion and Discussion:</strong> What makes this study different from other studies is that it offers different strategies according to digital footprint levels (9 years old, 10-14, 15-18). Thus, on the one hand, children will realize the beneficial areas of use of digitalization. On the other hand, they will learn our "cultural heritage games," which are an essential valuein our historical processes, and place them at the center of their lives. The strategy in question to influence primary school children in terms of leaving a positive footprint is to present the online environment to them in a creative way.</p>