Students need to know appropriate uses of social media
With today’s youth being raised in the midst of the social media centered society, many problems have arisen involving uses of the internet and social media platforms with people becoming much bolder and starting to say things that they never would’ve said in person. Face-to-face interactions have become likes, tweets, and comments. People don’t realize how serious the consequences can be for using social media in an inappropriate way. Since this is a fairly new issue, schools and administration are taking instances involving social media individually. With today’s youth being raised in the midst of the social media centered society, many problems have arisen involving uses of the internet and social media platforms with people becoming much bolder and starting to say things that they never would’ve said in person. Face-to-face interactions have become likes, tweets, and comments. People don’t realize how serious the consequences can be for using social media in an inappropriate way. Since this is a fairly new issue, schools and administration are taking instances involving social media individually. “There isn’t one sweeping consequence. So as far as a consequence, it could be anything from a conversation to a meeting with parents. It could even be upwards of a suspension, which are very rare,” said dean Linda Vecchie. Connections made on social media can also be negative, especially when there are public accounts that just anyone can follow. One never knows who is following them, allowing just anyone to follow their accounts. On the other hand, good connections can be made and maintained because of social media. If there’s a sibling or friend that lives far away, social media does a good job of keeping in touch and remaining a part of their lives. Meeting new people on the internet, such as roommates for college, professionals for papers or people with common interests, is also a positive impact that social media has on society today. Social media has had a major impact on the spread of information. Now, more than ever, students and teachers are exposed to more knowledge and information, and they are using that resource to better education. Social media has also taken the response route in more recent times when it comes to natural disasters and violence. GoFundMe accounts, Red Cross donation sites and helping find people to volunteer their time and resources are all started and spread by social media. Without social media’s influence and world-wide access, these campaigns and calls for help would not be as successful and widespread. Turning off phones, logging out of social media or simply staying away to decompress and relax is an easy way to disconnect from the digital world. “I think the biggest part is educating the kid on just pause for a second when you’re emotional. Whether you’re sad or angry just set it down for a second before you go firing off and say something you’re going to regret. I think kids need to give themselves permission to just set it down for a minute,” Vecchie said. There are good and appropriate uses for social media, and the key is to know when not to take situations too far.