Social networking sites don’t belong in the classroom

When I was younger, I remember begging my parents to allow me to have a MySpace and Facebook. Now that I see how much people rely on these social networking sites, I realize maybe our society has taken it too far.

Our society uses Facebook for almost everything. Social networking has even come so far as to influence our daily news, with networks such as CNN using Facebook and Twitter posts in their daily broadcast. ATT even came out with a phone that has a button specifically for Facebook. A main reason our society uses Facebook is to stay in contact with family and friends, and this is often the main source of communication for many of these people. I have no problem with people who use Facebook, however I think it makes the conversation less personal and intimate. There has been a lot of talk about how people would say things online, that they would not say in person. I also do not understand why people want so many other people they barely know, or do not know at all to see every little thing they have done that day.

A clinical study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics about the effects of social media showed that teens and young adults who used Facebook were more prone to depression. Our society is very competitive, especially in the United States. People often compare their lives to others, and Facebook is a very easy way to do this. All you have to do is open your computer and login, and you instantly have access to hundreds of people’s lives. You can sit all day and compare your happiness to others by looking at pictures, statuses, and posts. Although Facebook might not reveal a person’s true happiness, people still use it to judge others and their own life. Those with low self-esteem find this interaction challenging.

About three months ago I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. I did this for many reasons, but the main one was that I spent way too much time on it looking at things I did not really care about. Instead of actually talking with people in person I sat on the computer and had those conversations. I also became aware that certain posts were really upsetting me. I decided I did not need that hassle anymore and I feel I am much more productive and satisfied with my life now. So when my professor mentioned the use of Facebook on the first day of class, I instantly became aggravated.

My professor for a language class wants all his students to post a video of themselves on Facebook two times a week. The videos are of the students saying the words and phrases we learned that week. Isn’t that why NMU has websites like Educate? It is supposed to be a resource and site students and professors can use to communicate and turn in assignments outside of class.

My professor said that Facebook was the easiest way to post videos and access them online. He also wanted the videos to be open for anyone to see, since the language, Anishinaabe, is a dying language. However, isn’t a student’s privacy more important than that? When students post videos on a professor’s Facebook wall, not only do the student’s Facebook friends see the video, but everyone who is friends with the professor can also see it. That allows the professor to see the student’s Facebook as well, since the professor and students have to be “friends” in order to post a video on the professor’s wall. I would never put anything on Facebook that I would not want other people to see, but I know plenty of people who do. My professor did not really give students any other options on where else we could post these videos. I think this is an invasion of privacy. I do not understand why I should have to use Facebook in order to pass a class.

I am sure I am not the only student who has had professors want to turn in assignments on Facebook and this probably upset many of those students as well. I could tell that this situation was frustrating the other people in my class.

I think technology has changed our lives, often for the better. However, there are certain aspects of technology I do not think people usually consider. These social networking sites often affect students in an awful way. I know there have been times where I should have been writing a paper, but instead I sat on Facebook. It is affecting student’s schoolwork, happiness, social skills and personal privacy.

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Facebook played major part in Hampton’s hurricane response

HAMPTON – Social media played a major role in the way the City of Hampton communicated with the public during Hurricane Irene, representing the first time networking sites played a significant part in the city’s response to a storm.

The role played by social networks such as Facebook during the hurricane was one of the issues discussed at a special meeting called Wednesday in the wake of the storm on Aug. 27 and 28. In contrast, back in 2003 when Hurricane Isabel swept across Hampton Roads, social networking was not a tool available to the city

“During this storm we used social media a lot more than we have in the past,” City Manager Mary Bunting told the city council Wednesday. “Word got around so much that we had 600 new subscribers to our Facebook page during the four days before and during the event … it gave us the ability to immediately push out facts, tips and piece of information,” Bunting said.

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Mayor Molly Joseph Ward said for some people who lost power, the only way they could receive information during the storm was via their smart phones.

At the meeting the council also confirmed emergency declarations made before the storm and backed amendments to the city’s ordinance on curfews during emergencies.

State law requires an emergency declaration being ratified by the council within 14 days of its imposition.

Assistant City Manager James Gray said the city activated its emergency center on Aug. 24 – about three days before the hurricane arrived. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency on Aug. 25. Bunting declared a local state of emergency later on the same day.

Gray said this made certain resources available to local authorities. The city requested six high water vehicles in anticipation of flooding and a National Guard unit was put on alert to assist the city, Gray said.

“Even though we didn’t need them they were available to us,” he said.

Gray said the city carried out four sets of reverse 911 calls warning of anticipated flooding or detailing shelters for people with special needs. One of the calls was the mandatory evacuation for about 20,000 households located in the category 1 storm surge areas, while a fourth call was for the mandatory curfew.

“We have a database of phone numbers of all Hampton citizens about 77,000 landline numbers,” he said. He also said by calling Hampton’s 311 center citizens could get their cell phone numbers included, noting cell phones were replacing landlines for some members of the younger generation.

See the Hampton Matters blog at dailypress.com/hamptonmatters

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