The other day, we received our first comment on What About No? I expected a couple
comments from friends and family, but this one was actually from a complete
stranger and it seemed like this would be a good time to open a dialogue with
Conroy about the comments sections on social media. While his goal may be to
have his own YouTube channel one day, my goal is to transition him into the
word on online interactions with as much information and explanation as
possible. While I am loathe to be described as a helicopter mom, there are some
areas of life where a little more guidance is necessary, like calculus and sex.
DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS.
It is the single most noteworthy advice to heed when
perusing social media and yet, it is the one piece of advice that I just cannot
seem to follow. Give me an article with a good click-bait title, some sensitive
topics and a dash of controversial viewpoints and I will not be able to stop
myself from scrolling to the bottom of the page just to see what other people think.
Let me be very clear here. I do not read the comments in
order to adjust my thinking. I do not read the comments to validate my own
opinions. I do not read the comments because I think that everyone who posts a
comment actually believes what they are posting (trolls unite!) and I do not
read the comments in order to get my daily dose of drama (I watch enough
K-Drama’s to cover that).
I read the comments because the online interactions of
people, when granted a degree of anonymity, is simply fascinating. I am more
than aware of the fact that the person who touts equality may in fact be a
raging racist in real life and the person who suggests that the author should just die is actually super bored with
their existence and is looking for a reaction – any reaction. I am more curious as to why we create these online
constructs of ourselves and why some people, more than others, are prone to
creating completely alternate online personalities.
The link above is to Common Sense Media, a Los Angeles based
organization that strives to educate youth without the fallback scare tactics
that have been used in the past. Instead, teens are encouraged to work through
scenarios within social media that they could encounter at any time, while at
the same time looking for evidence to back up their thought processes and
conclusions.
As a parent who actively coaches their children online, I
found the approach to be refreshing. I would rather walk my kids through the
online world, giving them the tools to make sound decisions, than attempt to
hide the reality that is the internet from them.
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