Social media opens the door for people to express their opinions, beliefs, and theories online. Once something is posted, others on the account have the opportunity to like and comment (whether good or bad) on it. This is a great aspect of social media, but it comes with its downfalls. One of the main downfalls, is incivility. Incivility is someone being disrespectful to another person (usually someone with a different point of view).

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but people sometimes forget that what they say online can affect others. Incivility has grown since the creation of social media, because it allows for people to attack other people’s view points  with the protection of a screen. This growth of incivility can possibly slow down or even stop if everyone took a few minutes to think about the possible effects that one’s comment can produce.

When people act or in this case comment with anger, they may say or do something that they may regret later. To prevent this from happening, you can look at a post that you do not agree with and then think about what you are trying to  accomplish with a counterargument that you provide. For example, if your counterargument is trying to educate another person, then place oneself into his or her shoes and figure out where they are coming from and respectfully offer a different perspective on the situation. This method is better than attacking someone for having different beliefs, because more than likely attacking them will make them more defensive. Also, attacking someone may come off as cyber bullying. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect whether or not one agrees with another person’s opinion. Uncivil conversations usually leads to nowhere and it just makes everyone upset and defensive.  On the other hand, civil conversations can lead to better understanding and respect for another person’s point of view and it can even change one’s opinion about the situation.

As years goes by, social media is becoming a prominent space for individuals to connect with one another. The virtual space is now being used in classrooms. For example, many teachers use Facebook and Interest for class assignments. Social media has beneficial uses, but teachers should use it with caution. An ethical dilemma of that occurs with teachers and social media is should teachers befriend students on social media accounts. There are positives (i.e. a convenient way of helping students after class time) and consequences (i.e. risking being charged with or accused of sexual harassment) to befriending students on social media. This ethical dilemma is individual verses community. The teacher must decide if the positives for their students are worth the possible consequences.

There are positives for teachers to befriend their students on social media. Some people say that teachers befriending students is beneficial for introverted students. Students may be afraid to ask questions in class or voice their opinion on the subject matter, but social media allows students to asked questions without the face to face contact. Social media is convenient and the teacher can quickly respond to the student.  Some say that teacher connecting with students over social media can improve academic performance. Even though teachers befriending students on social media has positives it also includes its share of negatives.

One huge issue with teachers befriending students on social media is the risk of sexual harassment. Many teachers have lost their license over sexual harassment charges and accusations. Some states created laws that prevents teachers from befriending students on social media, because of sexual harassment. Another downfall, is students using inappropriate language on teacher pages and post. Students can use social media to publicly embarrass their teachers. The person at stake is the teachers themselves because they can end up losing their licenses and risked being embarrassed.

I feel that the risk is not worth the reward. There are many ways for teachers to assist students after school with using social media. For example, teachers can hold after school tutoring, email students, and connect parents. This ethical dilemma is teleological/consequence-based because the teacher must decide if they want to deal with the possible consequence of never teaching children again.

In Social Media Citizenship 110, one uses the lens of social media to discuss his or her identity (religion, race, class, etc.), social issues, citizenship, and how people can become respectful citizens. The text we have been studying from is Social Media Freaks, by Dustin Kidd.  In this blog, the information I will be sharing comes from chapter 3 and discussions we have had in class. Chapter 3 discuses how people can use social media to determine and/or talk about their sexuality. Sexuality is a spectrum and it can sometimes be a struggle for someone to determine or come to terms with how one identifies him or herself. Social media can be a place where one can figure out the answer to these questions. However, social media has positives and negatives that one should be aware of prior to using it. One of the most popular negatives, is cyber bullying and harassment.

Kidd starts chapter 3 explaining Brittney Spears downward spiral between 2006 to 2007.  He describes the backlash and harmful comments people we posting about her online.  Online bullying is defined as cyber bullying.  Chris Cooker, a homosexual male, made a video called “Leave Britney Alone.” He basically says that he feels that if the bullying continues that she may commit suicide, which in turn he will commit suicide. The video showed the world the power of hateful words and how it can affect people. In response to videos like this and other LGBTQ youth struggling with suicidal thoughts or attempts, Dan Savage and Terry Miller created the “It Gets Better” campaign. It allows young people to tell their story and post it online with the hopes that it can help someone going through a similar situation.

Cyber bullying is a serious issue that is not going to go away on its own. The comment section on some post can be harsh and we may not an to be involved with it, but we can use our social media platforms to defend someone being bullied or harassed online. We never know if our actions may just save a life or at least have that person know that he or she is not alone. Social media can and should be a place were people can express themselves without fear of harassment.

Welcome to Longwood Blogs. Hello, my name is Maya Ingram. I am a second semester freshman at Longwood University. I am majoring in Liberal Studies with a concentration in elementary education. I am currently taking Citizenship 110 which has a primary focus on social issues through a lens of social media.