Nov 01 2010
Framing Questions – SNSes
1. The privacy problem related to social networks has become an issue of concern for many, especially those applying to college or looking for jobs. Many kids and even adults are modifying their profiles to be more professional or changing their names to make it harder for people to find them. But since Facebook is not a professional environment, is it really fair to be judged based on photos or wall posts on your profile?
2. I enjoyed the discussion on the educator’s role for social networks. I am friends with quite a few professors on Facebook, and sometimes I wonder if that would have been considered appropriate before social networks. How has the world of social networking changed the boundaries of an appropriate student/teacher relationship?
3. If it is true that the internet mirrors and magnifies all aspects of social life, does that mean that just because a teen displays sad song lyrics on a regular basis that they are depressed? If so, should there be some sort of online teen help organization that seeks out troubled teens based on their profiles?
November 1st, 2010 at 1:01 pm
In response to question 2, I really like that Kim brings up the educator’s role for social networks because they in fact have these invisible role. And I believe even they don’t always understand the extent of that role until it presents itself as a problem. For example, in undergrad I was never friends with my professors on social networking site. I didn’t even know much about their personal lives, what they did on the weekends, etc unless they shared this information the day of class when we introduced ourselves. In the undergraduate setting, I somehow think this is still the case just as it is in secondary education. No elementary, middle or high school kid (to my knowledge) is friends with their teacher while they are being taught by them. My 10 year cousin tried to add his teacher on Facebook while he was being taught by her li0.ke many of the other students in the class. As expected, the teacher told him that she couldn’t be friends with him on Facebook while they existed within the same vicinity. When going to middle school, she informed him that they could be Facebook friends at that point.
I, like Kim, am now Facebook friends with many of my “old” professors who I have created great relationships with. We comment on each status, photos and even have relationships offline. But as a student, there was a more a thin line that couldn’t be crossed even to the extent that I shouldn’t know more that much more about her life than any other student in the classroom. I am very understanding of this situation and there are reasonable guidelines that exist. Before social networking, I don’t think it would have been seen as appropriate and honestly feel as if social networking really changed the ethical values of people as individuals and members of society.
The most unusual thing for me was coming into graduate school and being friends with professors. I was definitely one of the last individual to jump on the bandwagon. It wasn’t necessarily that I felt uncomfortable, but more so a privacy issue for me. I thought about all the what if’s and how I felt about my teachers knowing so much about me from my personal photos to my status updates. But over time upon adding them, I really discovered that it was more so a better learning experience for me. My professors were able to have a better understanding the direction I wanted to take and what I wanted out of the program. They were able to judge me my personality better and get to know me on a different level that help create a better professional relationship.