I am glad that I didn't grow up with Facebook or Twitter. I think it would make it even harder than it already is.
The only good that may have come out of using social sites like this would be to talk to people that you maybe wouldn't of in school and possibly make some new friends. But the negatives, for me anyways outweigh the positives.
October is National Pause Before You Post month. Its a month where educators and students makes pledges to pause before they post anything online that may harm someone else. I first found out about this from an article on a local television station's website. One of the local high schools is partaking in the event. According to the article, the teachers have talked about the issue of cyber-bullying before, but this month they are talking about more in class and encouraging students to think about things before they post them online. They are suppose to ask themselves, who will see it, will anyone be embarrased or hurt by it, am I proud of it, and how would I feel if someone posted it about me.
The main webpage behind all this, has a promotional video using upcoming teen celebrities asking teens to please Pause Before You Post. There is also links for students, parents and educators to follow, where they can find more information about this campaign.
We now live in a society where almost everyone uses social media to display their feelings and thoughts. I know as an adult, I would never post anything harmful about someone on one of these websites. But for children and teens, its probably more of a challenge. So and so always started it, but this is a good way for maybe some students to end the negative posts and to realize how foolish of a thing this really is.
Thank you so much for enlightening me about this topic for October. Cyber-bullying is huge. Students are commiting suicide because of what someone says about them on Facebook. We, as a society, need to really be conscientious about what we post. Social media is supposed to be about making connections with others. I always thought that meant in a positive manner; however some people are using social media to be disrespectful towards others. This will definitely be a topic I talk about in school next week.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of National Pause Before You Post Month. This raises awareness on how the internet and social media can be detrimental. Sometimes people don’t think of how their posts will affect others, but this changes that. The internet/social media can be a dangerous tool if we don’t utilize it in a positive way. Now that I am aware of this, I will definitely be thinking about everything I post. I never intentionally post something to hurt someone, but my awareness has been raised! Great post!
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