cyberbullying

When it comes to cyberbullying I think we need to take a step back and look at it as a social issue rather than blame the internet as a whole and restrict access. As we discussed in class much of what is being labeled as "cyberbullying" is just drama in the everyday lives of teenagers such as girls fighting over boys or just inside jokes between friends. But unfortunately when this drama goes public it tends to become overblown. I think one way to address this issue is to teach internet etiquette early. I know that when I was in middle school my parents had no idea what AIM or an online chat room was and even now kids are gaining access to the internet at a younger age and many parents still may not monitor their activity or even understand it. I think we also need to teach young people that sometimes problems need to be handled face to face rather than in the public eye. However as cliche as it sounds I believe as my generation starts having kids of their own they can pass down their understanding of the internet and learn from the mistakes or misunderstandings of the previous generation.

Social Media Bill of Rights

I think Lori Andrews goes to far when it comes to her plea for a so called "social media constitution." For me it all comes down to personal responsibility and self control. Rather we like it or not social media and the internet for that matter is meant to be a platform for you to show yourself to the world but unfortunately some of us may show a little to much. Every time we post an unflattering picture to instagram or a crude Facebook status we need to be assuming that our own mothers can see it and we need to think twice before posting them. Or even better set your privacy settings to be as restrictive as possible if your that worried. And even thought I think the idea of schools using this practice goes a bit to far just because we need to expect teenagers and young adults to lack judgement when on social media at some point I personally think a future employer has every right to be interested how a potential employee portrays them self online because by seeing how someone betrays them self online you can judge that persons good judgement or lack there of which is always necessary in a professional situations.