Cyberbullying
Kelly isn’t popular and
a group of other students sometimes make fun of her clothes and accent.
Eventually, a teacher hears their comments and gives them detention. The next
day, Kelly hears that an email is going around school asking people to sign a
petition declaring her “officially worst-dressed,” with pictures from
her Facebook profile attached. The email is sent from an anonymous address but
everyone at school has seen it and is forwarding it to their friends.
If you were Kelly, how would you handle this situation?
I would tell an adult at school.
If you received this email, what would you do?
I would probably forward it. The right thing to do is to delete it.
Jason and Mark get into
an argument at school, and Jason backs down first because he’s afraid of having
a physical fight with Mark. That evening, Jason goes online and writes nasty comments
on Mark’s wall and pictures.
What risks is Jason taking by flaming Mark’s profile?
He’s taking the risk of getting hurt physically by Mark or someone else.
How else could Jason have responded to the argument with Mark?
He could have talked man to man and settle things.
If you were Mark, how would you handle the situation?
I would probably fight him.
Sam’s friend Carly used
a computer in library to check her email and forgot to log off when she was
done. As a joke, Sam used her account to send a crude joke to the principal and
several teachers and signed it “Carly”.
Who is going to get in trouble over this email?
Carly.
What should Sam have done when he noticed Carly had forgotten to log off?
She should have logged her off and told her about it later.
If you were Carly, how would you handle the situation?
I would make it clear, who sent the email, and then talk with Sam.
What could Carly do to protect herself in the future?
Be more careful about logging off in the future.
Too Much Information, Too Many Readers
Angela frequently uses
her personal blog to vent when she is frustrated or upset. She likes writing
about her feelings in her blog, instead of in a paper diary, because her
friends can read the entries and offer supportive comments. After a tough track
practice one day, she blow off steam by writing an entry called “Jill’s
Jiggles,” describing how her heavier teammate Jill looks when she runs and
wondering “why Coach Johnson even let someone that slow on the team.”
Angela doesn’t realize Jill knows about her blog until the next day, when Coach
Johnson calls her in to tell her that her comments were unacceptable, that Jill
is extremely hurt, and that he is suspending Angela from the upcoming meet.
Angela would never have made fun of Jill to her face. Why might she have felt like it was okay to do so
in her blog?
Because she felt she was safe behind the computer screen.
How might Jill have found out about Angela’s blog entry?
Someone in the school might have told her.
What could Angela have done differently to keep from hurting Jill’s feelings?
Tell Jill how she felt about her face to face instead of posting a blog for
everyone to see.
Was Coach Johnson infringing on Angela’s privacy by using the blog entry to suspend her from a track meet?
Why or why not?
No, because that is a valid reason for him to suspend her temporarily.
What are other possible unintended consequences of this blog entry?
A family member of Jill’s might have also seen the post.
Tyler is hoping to get a
summer job as a messenger at a law office, which will pay well and look great
on his college applications. His interview with the office supervisor goes
well. As a final check, the supervisor asks a law clerk with a Facebook account
to check out the profiles of the messenger applicants. The clerk shows her Tyler’s
photo album from the Homecoming game, which has several pictures of him
shirtless and making a rude gesture, with comments that show he and his friends
obviously think they’re hilarious.
If you were the office supervisor for a well-known, respected law firm, would you give Tyler the job?
Probably not.
Tyler’s Facebook profile is how he keeps up with his friends. How is it fair for the law office to judge
him based on it?
It doesn’t say anywhere that you can’t do it.
Who else besides potential employers might draw conclusions about Tyler based on his Facebook
photos? Think of at least three possibilities.
Tyler’s parents, a college or his friends and family.
What could Tyler have done to make a more positive impression with his online image?
He could have made his Facebook account private.
Lisa finds a bunch of
old photos that her mom has been scanning and saving on the computer. There are
several pictures of Lisa with Kristin, who were best friends until Kristin
moved away in 9th grade. For old times’ sake, Lisa decides to upload some of
the pictures to an album on Facebook. She thinks it’s funny to see their
haircuts and middle school fashion sense, and a couple of her current friends
post teasing comments on the pictures. Later, Lisa gets a call from Kristin,
who is really upset about the pictures. “I don’t want people to know what
a dork I was!” she tells Lisa. “I can’t believe you posted those. I’m
totally humiliated now.”
Does Kristin have any control over who posts pictures of her online?
No.
How could Lisa’s photos affect Kristin?
She might not feel comfortable with everyone seeing those pictures.
What should Lisa have done to prevent Kristin getting upset?
She could have asked Kristin if she was ok with her uploading those pictures.
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