Chapter 7: Life Online

"We live now in a time where social networking software explicitly encourages people to share every quiver and shiver of their lives, where the very words "participation" and "connection" are automatically magical, it seems. As a result, when inappropriate sharing or relational aggression happens on Facebook and MySpace, its impact can reverberate across many aspects of school life."

Since I started teaching in a high school setting a few weeks ago, I've noticed this to be true with my own students. Facebook is blocked on the school server, but students have discovered that they can download apps on their devices to assist them in getting around these blockades and accessing any site they choose. The fact that they will openly share this information with a teacher just goes to show that they care more about using social media than they do about the possible repercussions they could face for breaking rules. Social networking has 100% worked its way into nearly every aspect of school life, in my experience. Many students are more concerned with taking selfies and sending them to each other on SnapChat than they are with completing their assignments. What they don't quite realize yet though is that once you put something out there, it's in cyberspace forever. One inappropriate picture or post, however private they meant for it to be, can be screen captured and forwarded to hundreds of people in an instant. We need to find ways to make students aware of the dangers of posting too much online, without making them feel that we are trying to stifle their creativity or sense of expression.

"Many parents and teachers feel like children and young people are the experts when it comes to online media. That's one reason why teachers and parents are unlikely to initiate conversations about controversial online content in part because of ignorance and in part because of confusion about how to talk about it."

In the world we live in today, it is quite possible (maybe even probable) that your children know more about social media and the world online than you do. This can be a scary fact for a parent or teacher, because society says that you gain wisdom with age. Conversations about online behavior are extremely important to have with your children, but it can be tricky to approach this topic for those who feel that their children are more well-versed in the social networking and online world than they are.

"Videos may feature Holocaust deniers, exhibitionists, or dangerous drivers. You can learn cutting and other forms of self-mutilation by watching online videos. And fight videos are popular online entertainment, which feature children, teenagers, or young adults engaging in real or staged fighting."

To me, this is horrifying. In a world where shock value is looked upon favorably, and television shows portraying people performing dangerous stunts are increasing in popularity, it's hard to distinguish where we should draw the line between controversial entertainment and just plain destructive.