The internet has given us many positive things: online banking, instant access to news, email, media streaming and even cross-the-globe connections. Until recently, we have avoided discussing the downsides of the internet; the notion that we could criticize something that has given us so much seems outrageous. The online world has literally transformed everything about how we live our lives and not always for the better. Many people throw caution to the wind and post every thought they have and every photo they capture. The oversharing has ultimately led to the unfiltered way we interact digitally with people we know and, many times, complete strangers.
I really connected with one of the quotes from Jon Ronson’s Ted Talk. He said,
“The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people. Let's not turn it into a world where the smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless”
People post one thing innocently, and the internet fire takes over, it starts with a small spark, and before long, that spark has ignited into a ferocious fire. Online commenters take it upon themselves to play judge and jury for everyone in the online community. It's as if we feel that social media accounts give us a license to judge, convict and sentence everyone online. What can start as one reply or comment online can spiral into full-on cyber shaming and bullying. For children and youth, bullying used to be something that took place in person on the playground during the school day and now that has extended to all hours of the day and has taken on a sense of anonymity at times as bullies now feel liberated to say whatever they want behind a screen as if that adds some level of thrill or invincibility.
Wouldn't it be interesting if we had a sort of an online AI check and balance before we posted online. A technology that could detect potentially hurtful things, an application that asked you to pause and reconsider before posting. Would that reminder potentially eliminate some of the cyberbullying and shaming that goes on? Surely with how advanced Artifical intelligence is, it must be capable of something like this. I stumbled upon a TED Talk from Trisha Prabhu that actually talks about an application that is capable of such a function.
As more children and youth are given unrestricted access to the online world, the level of online shaming and bullying has really skyrocketed. The class has fueled my passion for educating middle school students about the realities of online bullying and the dangers of online shaming. I began to do a bit of a deep dive into some resources that could potentially guide my future classroom discussions surrounding this topic. I have compiled a list of three resources I feel would be helpful for a middle years classroom:
This online resource was created by Media Smarts- Canada’s Centre for Digital Literacy. It provides lesson plans for K-12 classrooms focusing on digital literacy, critical thinking, cyberbullying, online influence and online scams.
This resource was developed by Common Sense Education and provides lesson plans for educators regarding a wide range of online topics
Created by Telus to provide digital literacy and online safety resources to Canadians. The site includes lesson plans, pledges and a variety of purposeful activities.
Sabrina,
Wouldn't an AI checker be interesting?
I have stopped myself numerous times from posting my thoughts publicly because I didn't want to be trolled or hear how I did something wrong. It is good that society is now acknowledging that not everything is good with the internet. Hopefully, we will keep moving forward in a positive, non-harmful manner.
Dayna