What is it about the internet that gives people permission to be awful and mean to others? I follow an astrophysicist on social media. She’s brilliant, and makes great content. She also posted a rant about all the misogynistic comments she gets from men commenting on her rather than her content. I’m not sharing any more details because it looks like she took the video down.
This is just one of many examples of people behaving badly from the safety of behind their keyboards. Many don’t even hide behind an anonymous profile, no they are just openly rude, mean, and/or sexist. I don’t understand the desire to do this? I don’t understand how a digital profile somehow creates the permissions to do this?
Would these people say the same things if they were physically in a crowded room with the person they are actively being inappropriate with? In most cases I would guess not. But somehow their keyboard acts as a digital wall separating them from their bad deeds.
I wonder what these people would think if someone was saying the same rude things they are saying online to one of their family members? Would that be enough to stop them? Would they think it was ok if a person spoke like them to their daughter? What would it take to make them realize what jerks they are being?
I’m pretty sure Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn’t face the sexism the female astrophysicist I mentioned above does. I bet the internet is a very different place for these two people with similar jobs. The inequity is magnified on the digital, social media front. The blatantly sexist and rude comments of yesterday-year are still alive and well on the internet.
I’m not the one getting the worst of it, so I don’t see it that much. Yet it still bothers me. I’d hope to see a change for the better soon, but I’m not terribly optimistic. In fact, I think it will likely get worse before it gets better. I hope not, but I think so.
Thanks Aaron,
I appreciated going back and reading that post: https://daily-ink.davidtruss.com/our-online-persona/
Writing daily for 3.5 years now, I quite literally don’t remember everything I write and parts of that post seemed like I was reading someone else’s words. It makes me think even more about my digital footprint!
With respect to your question, “are there any strategies or approaches that you have put in place to encourage empathy online, as well as an understanding of the impact of such practices?” One specific thing I have done is create a Digital Literacy course that almost all Grade 9’s in our district do. The first assignment is ‘My Digital Footprint’ where students look at their own profile, and reflect on what it says about them. However, I think that a lot of what I and others do is more reactionary, dealing with issues as they emerge.
I’m dealing with an issue now that happened over the break. Students sometimes think that they can say things outside of school to other students and not have it impact the school. But when the words they say are abusive and hurtful it impacts what happens at the school. I’ve already contacted his parent to say I’ll be talking to him tomorrow. I also said the conversation would not be disciplinary, only that it could head in that direction if the online behaviour continued. I really believe it’s our job to teach, and many times teaching moments only come after mistakes are made. That said, we can’t just be reactionary, we do need to talk to students about how their online actions affect others.
Thank you David for the response. I really like the idea of reflecting on student’s digital footprint. I remember doing that with students using Dave White’s visitor/resident matrix (https://readwriterespond.com/2015/10/mapping-the-divide-visitors-and-residents-on-the-web/). I feel like it is always a case of push and pull.
David, I have long wondered about the problem of on and offline. As an educator, are there any strategies or approaches that you have put in place to encourage empathy online, as well as an understanding of the impact of such practices? I recently did a short course on cyber security and awareness, my feeling is that such comments risk forming an informal character reference in a world beyond forgetting.
“I think the future of hacking and cyber attacks is the linking of different datasets that we openly share online through data brokers to provide an insight and awareness of individuals that will open up new possibilities.”
Source: Cyber Security & Awareness – Primary Years (CSER MOOC) by Aaron Davis
Ironically, looking back through my blog I actually came across a previous post and comment on your blog relating to the difference between our online and offline persona.
“I can see that we are not our online personas. They are different than us. Yet they can say a lot about… but they don’t always say what we think they say.”
Source: Our Online Persona by David Truss