Social Networks, not a time waster... crazy!
Surprisingly, I have never considered that spending time on social network sites, such as Facebook, may actually be beneficial for my future. I always considered Facebook more of a time wasting procrastination tool, rather than a valuable career networking tool. The internet is a 'public' space, where 'privacy' is non-existant. Establishing a 'public' profile of the internet, is essentially placing yourself and your communication network into the 'public' sphere. However, internet users often seem unaware that interaction on internet sites (even with 'privacy' settings) is a very 'public' process. Interacting with Facebook (even on the highest 'privacy' settings), involves placing your posts, images and personal details into the hands of Facebook. Once the information is placed online, its permanent... forever!!
So, should this stop us from interacting with social networking sites?
Of course not! Social networking sites can be fun and they serve as a way of connecting people from all around the world in one space. They make organising simpler and 'friendships' and 'acquaintances' easier to maintain. However, I do believe that we need to have an awareness of the nature of the internet and users should be cautious when accessing websites. Users should be aware of who they are 'friends' with online and to ensure that they are comfortable with the information they are posting becoming 'public' knowledge. Internet users should be aware and consider the vast beliefs and contexts of their potential audiences.
'Spying' on employees or potential employees... reasonable or voyeuristic?
Should 'private' information which is stored on social networking sites be accessed and judged by future employees? Is the 'private' information which users place on social networking sites truly 'private?' The answer is NO, any information which is placed on social networking sites ceases to be 'private' and instead becomes 'public' information. So, by this definition, is is reasonable that employers utilise any information that is found online. Although I initially found this idea difficult to grasp, it is a reality that 'private' information does not exist online.
What is our responsibility as teachers?
I think that it is important that, as teachers, we are prominent in online activities. At the same time, I feel as though we have a responsibility to be role models for the students and to model professional behaviour online, through social networking sites, blogs and video/photo sharing sites. Teacher should maintain a positive online persona (with the appropriate privacy settings attached) and should always be aware that we are role models both in and out of school.
What should we teach our children?
The most important aspect that we should teach children is an awareness of the nature of the internet. Students need to be aware that the internet is a 'public' space and that they need to obey a code of conduct when engaging online. It is important that students learn self-regulation skills, so that they are both aware and accountable for the information that they access and post online. Students should receive early instruction in internet awareness and protocol.
Well said Lexie. I too found it difficult to get my head around the whole privacy issue, especially regarding employers and potential employers looking you up on Facebook. However, it's similar in principle to other costs of change (sometimes in order to gain something, you have to lose something) and the cost of being more connected is a loss of privacy and in a sense, a loss of freedom. Formally, interactions with friends (as long as you didn't do anything too stupid) stayed between friends. Now, as you say, quite a bit more of interaction takes place in public forums and part of our job is to instil that awareness in our students.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I like your point about losing freedom and privacy to gain a sense of connectedness. At the same time, If we have nothing to hide in the first place, what is the harm of placing ourselves online? We also have the ability to select HOW we portray ourselves online and the information which we choose to share. In a way, this leads to a greater sense of freedom.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your summary of the lesson.
ReplyDeleteTrue, if we have nothing to hide why worry? It is the same principle as always telling the truth. I have always said to my children, if you lie you have to remember what you said to who and you will more than likely be found out which causes more problems. If you always tell the truth you are less likely to create further problems, if there were any.
The same with social networking sites, if you don't lie about yourself (qualifications, etc) and present a positive profile then there is no problem with employers 'looking you up'.
That is my 'professional' opinion, however my personal opinion is a employer shouldn't be looking into your private life if you are able to perform your job in a professional way.
Finally, as future teachers of children in the digital era it has become part of the role to ensure the children are aware of all the highs and lows of the internet, whether it be socially or professionally and the earlier they are taught the better it will be for them as they mature.
Lexie, I totally agree with your idea that teachers need to be in these online spaces and to model appropriate behaviour for students. I also agree that it's best not to regard anything that's online as totally private - being on Facebook is a bit like having a conversation in a corridor ... you never know who'll overhear. But if we bear this in mind, social networking sites can bring lots of personal, social and even professional benefits.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Agree. Agree.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would like to add a few things :)
I think one of the challenging things about FB is being aware of the type of friends we have on there - are they people you met at school? Uni? Work? Holidays? Or just out on the town? Because, for each of these different scenarios, you have (well, I do, at least) a different persona - I act and speak differently depending on whether I am with school friends or family or work colleagues. But, facebook is one profile.
On another note, I joined LinkedIn last week and I love it. I find it so interesting to see what my old colleagues are up to and it is also nice to see people presenting themselves professionally and I have enjoyed putting my profile together as well! If you join, add me as a connection!!
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kate-leech/33/424/b70
Kate, you are completely correct. I think that we have to be aware of who we are friends with online and even the people who they may be associated with. Honestly, placing anything exceptionally personal online is just plain stupid and most people know better. As for LinkedIn, I probably will not be joining at the moment, I have enough trouble following twitter :)
ReplyDeleteThe thing about LinkedIn, though, is that you don't have to do much once you've joined and uploaded your CV and an overview of your education/experience. You'll get connection requests from time to time, as well as updates on what those connections are doing, but you don't have to log in more than a few times a year to update your info.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kate, everyone does seem to have a different persona with different groups of 'friends', therefore it can often be difficult to join these altogether on the one social networking site. Like Mark said in class, alot of people often create two profiles, one for social and one for business. You can alternatively use just the one however create gruops within it and set different privacy boundaries for each group. Friends who you interact with on a day to day basis see your whole profile whereas work associates or family members can have a manipulated view which shows little of your day to day behaviours and language used. It's about using the privacy settings to your advantage.
ReplyDelete