So our professor Alec Couros has encouraged us to look more closely at social movements on social media. 1 hour later, and with 15+ browsing tabs open, I'm at a loss. I suppose I can start with Katia Hildebrandt's post that Alec linked us to, of which the main message was that we must risk our privilege to speak out for those who have no privilege to risk. This is certainly a sentiment that is hard to argue against. I read with great interest the comments on that particular blog post, which had over 40 comments, far beyond the average amount, so it was clearly a post that touched some nerves and had some reach. One problem I see is the concept of #slacktivism, where one can feel like they've supported a cause by merely clicking a like button or doing some other task that requires minimal effort. At the same time, there are infinite travesties in the world that many aren't even aware of happening every day (check out natural disasters, or even the world news for each month), an infinite parade of social inequalities out there, perpetrated by other people, unfortunate circumstances, nature, and a whole host of other issues. No issue is simple, and my main issue with Twitter is that it is not exactly the type of platform that is built for deep debates and understanding. I'd say that perhaps Twitter is not necessarily the place to tackle complex social issues, or any complex issue. It is a great place to share fun news, network, or find great ideas (that you can go read about more in other places). As evidenced below, it's also great if you are looking for a year of free nuggets, #NuggsForCarter, which was only recently dethroned as the most viral (retweeted) tweet of all time: Of course, as outlined by Catherine Read in her excellent post, there are a whole host of issues that gained traction on social media, from #BlackLivesMatter, The Arab Spring, etc. Just look at NASA's #YearInSpace, a wildly popular campaign that shows just how powerful social media campaigns can be. Twitter and Facebook are forces to be reckoned with. So in an age of infinite participation, what part are we as teachers supposed to play in all this? For example, do we care that only 66% of Canadians who were eligible to vote in the last election voted? So where does that leave us? So much disinformation and hate can be spread on social media... it has often been likened to an echo chamber. I tend to agree with Jordan Peterson on this one, though, who likens social media more to an Amplifier. Clearly, social media can be used to amplify anything, whether or not we'd simply classify these things as merely "good" or "bad" things. I've always also been mindful of the evidence that continues to come out of publications around mental health and social media. For something that can create so much good change in the world (something that bothers me: how do we measure this anyways? A post for another time?), it sure seems to make our teens and especially adults sad: -How Social Media Increases Depression and Loneliness -Does Social Media Cause Depression? -You Asked: Is Social Media Making Me Miserable? As Daniel noted.... being an educator in the world of social media activism #difficult (great post, go read it!)... well yeah, it certainly is. The race is on to connect EVERYONE in the world to the internet, which has basically slowly turned into something that everyone needs to have, similar to water and food. Joel Westheimer and Joseph Kahne push us to consider the next evolution of the personally responsible citizen in their article that Alec suggested we read, to that of the Justice Oriented Citizen. ...if participatory citizens are organizing the food drive and personally responsible citizens are donating food, justice oriented citizens are asking why people are hungry and acting on what they discover (Westheimer & Kahne, 2004, p. 4) So, my answer to the question, what is our responsibility as educators to model active citizenship online? is.... Educators should strive to create students who can think analyse and think critically about complex problems, and teach them how to use all the tools available to create social change, including online tools. Till next time, Stay curious, Matteo
6 Comments
11/25/2019 06:30:28 am
Hey Matteo, great post. I also find struggle with Twitter some days to have meaningful conversations with people. Great point on likening social media to an amplifier, I also believe that this is the main purpose of social media for a majority of users. The struggle is how can we get and promote change if we are just amplifying our voices? Things to ponder. Great post!
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Matteo Di Muro
11/26/2019 01:46:28 pm
Hey Curtis. Haha, my voice doesn't get amplified much, I think on average I have 0 likes or retweets on any given twitter post :D haha, but that's just me!
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Brad Raes
11/25/2019 06:43:20 am
I agree that we should be teaching critical thinking. I would argue we should be teaching critical thinking, global citizenship and the power of social media before we encourage students to participate in online communities.
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Matteo Di Muro
11/26/2019 01:48:05 pm
I agree Brad, that is a good point! Half the things also that are said on social media would likely never be said to someone's face... I'm not sure how that could change, unless you sort of had a permanent online presence that followed you around (aka like a reputation...)
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11/25/2019 11:49:00 am
I enjoyed the various items you pulled into your post this week, Matteo. I agree it is a challenge to have good conversations on Twitter, but also wonder if without Twitter whether some of these conversations would be had at all.
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Matteo Di Muro
11/26/2019 01:51:57 pm
Thank you Riley. I'm a mixed bag of tricks at best!
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AuthorMy name is Matteo Di Muro, the original Prairie Boy, and I've been teaching since I was 14. I currently teach mathematics and computer science in Brandon. I try to keep on learning things, and I'm getting onboard with sharing with others, hence this site! Archives
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