As an avid user of social media such as Facebook and Myspace, AND as a teacher, I can see the positive and negative aspects of social media. For myself, personally, I use Facebook and Myspace to stay connected with friends and relatives and have had many amazing experiences using both sites. Just a few years ago I got reconnected with a childhood friend of mine that I hadn't seen since we were 12 years old. Now I go and visit him and his wife every summer and will become the Godmother of their child due in December! Though social networks weren't available yet, my mom and stepdad actually met on a dating website called Love at AOL.com back in 1999. They have been happily married for 6 years and happily together for 10 years now. So for me, social media has had a dramatic effect on my entire life.
I also see the problems associated with social media. As a teacher, I have to be very careful with what is posted to my Facebook and Myspace pages. I set my privacy to make sure only my friends can see my profile and pictures. I also make sure that no one can search me and no one under 18 can contact me. So far these simple settings have worked really well for me. I don't lie about having profiles, but I make it perfectly clear to my students that I will not add them and I make sure there is nothing on my profiles that can come back to haunt me. In his video address to students last week, President Obama, in reply to a student asking how he could become president, said, "“I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the You Tube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life. That’s number one, (Ostrow, 2009).” I think this comment was extremely important for students to hear, not only for their safety in general, but for their future. Social Media is a fantastic tool for networking, but it can also put you in a bad position when applying for a job, even college! In an article on Inventorspot.com, it is stated that More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook…daily. That is a lot of content about you that could be just "floating" around!
Here is a really funny video about Social Media Addicts:
Sources:
Callari, R. (2009). The Stats On Social Media Today Will Astound You! Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://inventorspot.com/articles/social_media_stats_kagan_fisch_mcleod_qualman_31540
Ostrow, A. (2009). Obama To Kids: Want To Be President? Be Careful On Facebook. Retrieved September 12, 2009 from http://mashable.com/2009/09/08/obama-advice-to-kids/
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Hey Steph, I really enjoyed reading this post; not only was I able to relate to it, but you also have some keen observations and points to make here about social media. Undoubtedly, it's a powerful thing, and arguably a double-edged sword that can bring us joy (through reconnecting, for example) and pain (as our President warned our students). As educators, we have a tremendous obligation and responsibility to teach our students how to use social media in a positive, productive way: scribbling something on your notebook cover and posting a photo on Facebook are two very different things!
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