In my social media class this week we were challenged to respond with a counter point to the notion that social media is a scary thing. This was an interesting activity for me because I have been unsure of my feelings about social media since I began this course. I started the class thinking of social media as a necessary evil that has attached itself to modern communication and social networks. To be connected in this modern world you need to be on social media. I have been adjusting this view of social media throughout my course work. Now I see the power of social media to build and strengthen a community. These platforms give community members a new or engaging way to interact with each others and share reflections on shared experiences. I am still wary of oversharing on these platforms, because of my own mistakes in |
the past, and I want to make sure that I am helping my students an understanding of how not to overshare. Now I see this concern as a healthy understanding of how to use a tool and what the potential drawbacks are if it is not used appropriately. Most tools have these potential drawbacks when the tool is used inappropriately, and just because I can burn myself on the stove does not mean I should stop cooking. This is the problem with social media I responded to with my counter point.
"Social Media is a scary thing. We've allowed out innermost thoughts and feelings to bleed out like we all have Turrets syndrome. The universality of it is wonderful, but also causes more stressed from around the world. It destroys relationships, and creates triggers. Worst of all, we're all addicted to it."
I think social media empowers users to share reflections on experiences in new and engaging ways. This is the power of social media. Thoughts that may have only been part of an internal dialogue 20 years ago can now be made public and integrated into public conversations. In my classroom, when we share an engaging experience, like a felid trip, everybody wants to share their thoughts and feelings and most want to do so in a public forum. In my traditional classroom there was limited time for everybody to take a turn to share, maybe students could share with partners but this workaround lacked that validation of sharing for the whole group. The social media platforms in my blended classroom empowers every student to share in the public forum, with the public validation. I do see oversharing in social media as a scary potential drawback of this powerful tool. But like any tool with potentially dangerous drawbacks the best way to protect the users is to learn the proper way to use the tool and then practice using the tool until the correct way until it is second nature. Elementary school is the perfect time for students to be introduce to safe and appropriate sharing on social media, because their interactions can be monitored by a responsible adult and they have time to practice appropriate sharing before they are forced to make their own choses about what to share as adults.
"Social Media is a scary thing. We've allowed out innermost thoughts and feelings to bleed out like we all have Turrets syndrome. The universality of it is wonderful, but also causes more stressed from around the world. It destroys relationships, and creates triggers. Worst of all, we're all addicted to it."
I think social media empowers users to share reflections on experiences in new and engaging ways. This is the power of social media. Thoughts that may have only been part of an internal dialogue 20 years ago can now be made public and integrated into public conversations. In my classroom, when we share an engaging experience, like a felid trip, everybody wants to share their thoughts and feelings and most want to do so in a public forum. In my traditional classroom there was limited time for everybody to take a turn to share, maybe students could share with partners but this workaround lacked that validation of sharing for the whole group. The social media platforms in my blended classroom empowers every student to share in the public forum, with the public validation. I do see oversharing in social media as a scary potential drawback of this powerful tool. But like any tool with potentially dangerous drawbacks the best way to protect the users is to learn the proper way to use the tool and then practice using the tool until the correct way until it is second nature. Elementary school is the perfect time for students to be introduce to safe and appropriate sharing on social media, because their interactions can be monitored by a responsible adult and they have time to practice appropriate sharing before they are forced to make their own choses about what to share as adults.