Social media has become immensely popular these days, especially within the younger age groups. There can be a lot of rude posts that are circulated through social media or even comments on said posts that spur arguments online. However, with all this negativity, social media can also be used as a place for positive impact, and to advocate for increased civility.

This could be done through certain people spreading posts that support positivity. There are so many ways to share opinions, through tweeting words of kindness or sharing photos or experiences with your followers that can encourage civil behaviour amongst our society. Since social media is so accessible these days, with certain posts going viral and reaching large audiences, the messages behind these posts can spread into our everyday lives.

Another way civility can be encouraged online is in the comments section of posts. This area of social media, in particular, can be a place for negativity, where people may say rude and hurtful things, as they feel more confident hiding behind a screen rather than saying these things to people face to face. In the comments section, people have the power to salvage situations and intervene as a mediator to prevent the harassment or public shaming that could potentially be going on. This could be done by either calling the people out that are being disrespectful or even going as far as to report them to the authorities of the social media account that it may be on, whether the inappropriate behaviour is taking place on twitter, facebook, or whichever medium it may be displayed on.

My hope is that everyone can be respectful and civil to one another both on and offline. I know this might not be the reality currently, but it is very achievable, and social media is a great place to advocate for this ideal behaviour.

As a student-athlete at Longwood University myself, I thought it would be interesting to investigate the ethics of coaches monitoring athletes’ various social media accounts.  Some may say that it is a good thing for coaches to monitor these pages, as they can make sure the athlete is presenting themselves, and the team well, as if the athlete posts something inappropriate about the team, or even just something inappropriate in general, it can reflect poorly on the team or coach’s public image. However, others may argue that athletes should have the freedom to present themselves how they see fit. So the ethical dilemma I am investigating is; is it ethical for coaches to monitor their athletes’ social media accounts? With the moral agents in this situation being the coaches, as they are posed with the decision as to whether they choose to watch the athletes’ accounts, and how much they choose to interfere with these accounts.

The advantages, as stated above, of the coach monitoring the accounts would be that it would be made sure that the public image of the particular sports team would remain good, as if any material was posted that would damage this reputation, then the coach would be able to see it and make sure the inappropriate post was taken down. Another good thing about coaches following their players’ social media accounts is that the athletes then become more aware of what they are posting and whether the content is appropriate. This can be good for when future employers may potentially search these athletes up on social media as a background check. So by having no posts that are controversial, or any images that might show out of control drinking or parties, it can reflect well for the person later in life.

Some cons, however, may be that the athlete could feel uncomfortable knowing that their coach is ‘judging’ what they are posting on their own private accounts. I know a lot of people have privacy settings on their social media accounts, for example, finstas, which are private instagrams, so that certain people aren’t able to view their posts, so by having the coaches forcibly be allowed to follow them can be hard for some athletes. Also, the coach not letting an athlete voice their opinion via social media could be a violation of the first amendment, as they are technically taking away the free speech of the particular athlete.

Based off these pros and cons, I believe that it is ethical for coaches to monitor their athlete’s social media accounts, as what they post does have impacts on the teams they are associated with. However, I don’t think it’s ethical for the coaches to dictate what the athletes post, as this can be a breach of free speech, but the coaches can still provide their opinion and suggest what things they may find inappropriate.

Discussion question: Should coaches be able to make an athlete take down a post on social media?

After reading chapter 3 from Dustin Kidd’s book, Social Media Freaks, I found it interesting how popular the use of social media was for queer individuals, considering that there can be so much hate directed towards homosexuals online. An ADL (Anti-Defamation League) survey even showed that the LGBT community make up for 63% of the total people that were targeted for online harassment because of their identity. After reading this statistic, I would have assumed that queer individuals would mainly refrain from having as much of an online presence to try to avoid the unjust hate that is directed towards people associating with that sexuality, but in fact, this seems to not be the case.

I have come to realise that social media, even with the negativity that can appear, allows a platform for people to connect and open up discussion about their sexuality. For homosexual people, who may not know any others around them, can use social media and other online tools to find others who associate with the same sexuality, and therefore feel less alone in doing so. Kidd mentions at one point in the book that teens especially feel a big need to socialize, so if their family isn’t necessarily supportive of their sexual orientation, it can allow for people ‘to reach for connections beyond the family’ and bond with others that are in the same situation.

An example of one way of connecting with others may be when teens reach out with ‘coming out’ posts and open up to the public about their sexuality. This is becoming increasingly more popular, most likely because people find it a lot easier and safer to say potentially controversial things when they are sitting behind a screen, and not actually having to open up to people face to face. This can also unfortunately be true for those voicing hate speech or homophobic content, as they feel more comfortable to attack LGTB members when they aren’t having to talk to them in person.  However, I do feel that the positives and the community that has been built for queer people have outweighed the hate they have received online, by allowing for homosexuality to enter a period of acceptance among society through everyone coming forward online.

Biography:

I am a freshman, currently studying at Longwood University. I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but moved here for college to pursue my passion for lacrosse. I love the beach and anything in the outdoors. Coming from New Zealand, there is a lot to explore, so spending time outside, whether that be hiking or swimming in the ocean, has become something that I really enjoy. I have always been very active, which has led me to want a career in the exercise science field. Due to this, I am currently studying kinesiology, and wanting to go into post-graduate studies after to become a physical therapist, and help athletes overcome injuries and improve their performance.

Welcome to my blog. I am a freshman at Longwood University, and majoring in kinesiology. I was born in New Zealand, but have come to Virginia to pursue my love for lacrosse. Join me on this great adventure!