One of the things that intrigue me the most about social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter is their ability to connect and engage people in trending topics, all while promoting dialogue and conversation. At the same time, it’s why I probably spend the least amount of time on these platforms. I love reading threads of peoples’ replies to various posts, but I need to be in the right mindset if I’m going to engage and delve into it myself. It can be mentally exhausting to deal with people that are being intentionally hateful and hurtful online. As long as the conversation stays focused on the topic and the replies are logically sound (ie: they don’t become personal attacks), I often get roped into the back-and-forth banter. For me to engage, the conversation needs to stay respectful and on-topic.
I can spend hours reading threads of replies about activism; however, I don’t often engage in the dialogue myself. On Twitter, with its ability to stay cloaked in anonymity, the respect piece sometimes goes out the window and hateful comments often litter the thread. I find that this happens on Facebook, as well, but not to the same extent. In the media, you often hear stories of educators getting fired or having their teaching license revoked due to comments that they have made. Sometimes, even the most seemingly innocent of posts backfires and an educator is in legal turmoil. Over the past decade or so, I have erred on the side of caution in regard to social media so as to ensure that I don’t upset the wrong person. For these reasons, I have often avoided getting involved in online conversations related to activism.
However, the discussions and presentations we had in #ECI831 class this past week have really made me start thinking differently about whether these social media conversations are worthwhile. In Katia Hildebrandt’s blog about ‘In online spaces, silence speaks as loudly as words’, her statement stating that “if we…as educators…remain silent about issues of social justice…then we are sending a clear message: These issues are not important”. This resonated so profoundly with me and reminded me of the importance of having a strong presence online. Although you might not change the world, or even change a person’s mind, there is power in numbers and building a professional network online helps to achieve that. Being engaged in conversations about activism on social media is part of our digital citizenship as educators; a privilege that many do not have.
Being in a position of power and authority (in which educators undoubtedly are) is in fact a privilege. As a Caucasian male in Canada, I am part of a class of people that also has privilege. I recognize these as privileges that I have, and for that reason, I need to use my privilege to address issues such as gender and racial discrimination. As a gay man myself, if I had a teacher or figure in my life that spoke in support of queer people when I was growing up, that would have made such a profound difference in my life. Social media should be a space for educators to use to their advantage and stand up for those who don’t have the same privilege. This class, as well as my own personal reflection this past week, has reminded me of the importance of engaging in, and being open to, these types of conversations as part of our professional responsibility. As Harvey Milk said in his famous Hope Speech “unless you have dialogue, unless you open up the walls of dialogue, you can never reach to change people’s opinions”.
How do you use your voice to engage in social media activism?
Microphones.
I appreciate your thoughtful and honest response in your blog post. I agree that our privilege should remind us that as educators we need to be opening up the conversations so that our students know we are the safe, caring adults we need. I hope to create a better world for our future citizens and if I do nothing, nothing will change. As you shared…it all starts with open dialogue! Thank you!
Great post! You have such a calm way of making an impactful statement.I really like your comment that our online presence may not change someone’s mind but it adds another number to the voices speaking out on the same thing, which is powerful. I have also been reflecting this past week on my social media silence and how I do not intend to send the message of uncaring, yet that is exactly what it does, so that is something I am personally going to work on moving forward. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have been in a similar mindset the past few years. The amount of patience and energy you need to engage in most online discussions is overwhelming. There are the very odd exchange where everyone acts as decent people who happen to have opposing views. I revel in those moments and find my thoughts afterwards productive. My brain after the usual hateful and hurtful (as you described it) comments has caused me to delete more than one social media app.
I am trying to use my own privilege to speak more, but I hear you on the fear of what can happen to our career with one call about an out of context tweet or post.