Social Media - Uses and Abuses

“Do you use technology or does technology use you?” This line in the documentary ‘LIKE’ sums up our increasingly complex relationship with social media. I want to thank our Parents Association for hosting showings this past week at Renown and at school for students (G6-12), parents and faculty. The film is well worth discussing as a family - devices and apps have radically changed the way we think and act in a short span of time. There are many small steps we can take to stop our devices from being addictive - limiting our time on them, turning off notifications, and charging them in another room at night to list a few suggestions.

We need to constantly remember that apps are collecting data on us when we use them and are designed to keep us using them. Most importantly, it is our responsible use that can ensure a caring community.  I encourage you all to watch the final segment from the film which is a spoken word version of Max Stossel’s Poem - This Panda is Dancing.

When we do not use social media responsibly, it can have dire consequences. I remember the tragic case a few years ago at Rutgers University where a student committed suicide after having unknown pictures of him posted by his roommate. Or on a different scale, as our college counsellor, Rob Lamb, shared with our faculty from a Tulane University admissions blog:

"You act like a jerk on social media. So you might think the most frequent reason we rescind admission here at Tulane would be getting a D in AP US History or getting caught drunk at Prom. Well, you'd be wrong. The thing that we have the most zero tolerance for is when you act like a real jerk to someone on social media. Any form of cyber-bullying, making fun of classmates or teachers on your Finsta or any kind of cruelty in the virtual world is a surefire way to have your admission rescinded. How you behave when you think no one else is watching tells a lot about your character, and if we get word that you've been cruel to someone else, expect to make alternative future plans. Those Harvard kids had to. We're never going to troll your social media or find things to get you in trouble for. 100% of the time, we'll get screenshots of hurtful things that have been said on social media sent to us. The good news is, this one is really easy to avoid: just be a nice person in life, and also online. Likelihood of admission being rescinded: Very high." 

We all have to learn how to use our devices responsibly. Stop and think. It helps all of us.