When looking my name up on google I was shocked to see that you could see some of my social media accounts like Instagram and Pinterest. I also saw some old sports results from my high school years and surprisingly my name was mentioned in a local newspaper that I didn’t even know about. When I found my Pinterest account I was reminded that something does stay on the interest for a long time. That account I would have made when I was around eleven or twelve, I don’t even remember making it. When looking me up I was reminded that anyone could find my instagram account or even probably my facebook too. I have never looked up myself before but I can see the digital footprint I have online. 
Cyber-shaming is a heavy topic because of how unforgiving the internet is. I can see both sides when it comes to cyber-shaming because of certain reasons. If an account has posted many racist posts and has not learned my some comments should be made to try to educate people behind the screen. I believe that two wrongs don’t make a right. I think more people should try to educate the public instead of immediately accusing.
By educating young people about the effects of cyber-shaming or cyber bullying it can help people realize how their words on the internet might be hurtful. “The ugly thing about cyber-bullying is the emergence of the internet and social media coupled with mobility through smartphones. The more we progress with technology, the more we have easy access to information.” This quote from The “good”, the bad and the ugly is an example on how we need to educate students to protect their privacy and how saying bad things on the internet is bullying.
I agree, I think that educating is more helpful than morphing into a cyber troll and doing the same thing as let’s call them keyboard warriors for a lack of better terms. I often remind myself of that saying “You catch more flies with honey, than you do vinegar”
It really is surprising how easy it is to find ourselves on the internet. I like how your post focused on the importance of educating students on cyberbullying and cyber-shaming to help increase their awareness and be more careful online.
It can be alarming to search ourselves and find what results come up. When I searched myself, I was shocked by how many obituaries come up before some of my socials.
It is crazy what stuff comes up when we google our names! For the most part I try to think critically about what I am posting online and I have my accounts set to private but I had not given much thought to my online identity until this class. You mentioned forgetting about your Pinterest account you had created as a child. I think this shows it is important for us to educate students on how long their digital footprint remains. We can move on and forget about things as the years go along, but our digital footprint archives it for much longer than imagined!
It’s really eye-opening to realize how much of our digital footprint stays online! I agree with your point about cyber-shaming; it’s important to find a balance between educating others and holding them accountable. I believe that helping people understand the impact of their words can go a long way in creating a more positive online space. Educating our students about their digital presence and the consequences of their actions is crucial for fostering empathy and responsibility online.