Social media has become extremely popular since its arrival in the early 2000s with MySpace & Friendster where it became even more popular with Facebook in 2004. Then, gained even more popularity with Instagram in October of 2010. Gaining even more popularity in July of 2011 with Snapchat. Then, it hit its max popularity in September of 2016 with TikTok.
I was curious how teachers and students thought social media has impacted our world today and how we could stay safe on social media. So I asked teachers and students alike (middle and high school) who were most likely to use social media two questions: 1.) How has social media impacted our world today? and 2.) What are some ways we can be safe on social media?
Lauren Saltsman, Bourbon County High School Culinary teacher said, “One way it has affected the world is through our food trends. Influencers have a way of shaping the food culture by reviewing food, food challenges and showcasing different recipes. TikTok especially is a digital cookbook for myself, and I find a lot of new recipes and things to try than ever before. I find myself also looking up reviews on TikTok before I try a new restaurant or food item- usually this will persuade me to either give it a try or to stay away.” She goes on to say, “Enabling two factor identification, which will usually send a verification code to your phone or email when logging in on a new device or after a certain amount of time is one way to stay safe while using social media. You can also set up security questions and answers, which can help protect your account as well. Another way is keeping your social media private to public people who cannot view your account at any time. In order to view your account, they must become friends with you on the account first.” Finally, she said the pros of social media is entertainment and access to new information, but the cons are bullying and harassment, online vs reality world.
Science teacher Brian Hoover says, “I think social media has allowed us to come closer as a society, but has also allowed for more division of people and ideologies. A pro of social media, however, is that it allows for people to connect with people of unlikely or impossible interaction. A con of social media allows for increased speed of information.” He says the best way to remain safe on social media is by “restricting our profiles, as well as limiting the amount of sensitive/personal information posted online.”
Social Studies teacher Matt Yonker provides a double sided argument by saying, “I think it’s given us more digital connection with both people and information. Depending on what you’re using social media for determines its positivity. If you’re using it to communicate with family and friends then it can be very positive. But if we are using it as our sole source of information, then we have to be careful of what sites we use. I think one of the pros of social media is we have so much information, but the con is you also get tons of false information.”
Business teacher Corey Baum shares “Social media has made the world a smaller place.” He goes on to share to be safe, “A.) Don’t meet up at somebody’s house B.) Don’t accept friend requests, watch what you post online.”
Sophomore student Brooklyn Sebastian takes a bit of a different perspective than some teachers and shares, “I think it has impacted our world negatively, like cyberbullying.” She said to stay safe on social media you shouldn’t “share passwords or personal information.” She ends with “Some pros are socializing with people.”
Teacher Carla Denney at the Middle School shares, “Social media can be a valuable tool, such as easy access to share information quickly and engage with students. However, we need to set boundaries about responsible usage and model that for students. I think, realistically, it’s even difficult for me to be responsible when using it or being on social media too much.” She goes on to say safe internet usage looks like, “Parental controls and limited usage”. As a teacher, she says a con is the “lack of concentration and small attention span.”
Student Autumn Deaton says, “It gives us less time to spend with each other then using that time with devices.” She said on social media to be safe we should “Avoid sketchy people who add you on apps and avoid sketchy websites.” She says, “Pros are being able to text if in danger and if you like talking to a person, you can do so easily, but a con is being trapped and wasting your day away on social media.”
Finally student Tori Kinder said, “I think social media makes people look down on themselves, but a pro is you can see what people are doing around the world.” She said the way to have a safe social media is “Have somebody supervise what you do on social media.
Overall, students and teachers seem to share similar opinions on how social media can waste our day if not used appropriately, however, they also provide us some ways to be safe while using it!
