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Megan Evans took her own life, aged just 14, after a secret battle against cyber-bullies that she kept hidden from her parents. Her mum Nicola only found out about Megan’s torment when cruel messages were discovered on her phone after her death. Nicola choose to speak to us just days after her daughter’s funeral, in a desperate bid to raise awareness of cyber bullying and spare other families such heartbreak.

Heartbreaking – when a cyber ‘community’ can take a life #mscedc

 

The article attached really struck a cord with me. I have a 10 year old daughter and understand the hardship friendships can bring within and out with the classroom. I work with teenagers and everyday try to eliminate any isolation or persecution in my studio. How would I facilitate social connections or manage challenging behaviour online?  Digital Education online excites me at the  possibilities but at the same time worries me as a facilitator. Young people are less resilient to the aggression behind a keyboard. Will online safety become part of my role as an educator ? Is the word ‘cyber’ a peripheral distraction from the more pressing ‘real’ issues of education and the health and well-being of young people. Kozinet speaks of the online culture as a way for people to interact and communicate with others within an online communal experience. This can include newbies, lurkers and regulars that create an online identity and social life in the virtual community. They may use this as a way to escape isolation from their real life social situations. However, we can not guarantee that there will not be ‘bashers’ set out to harass individuals online.

 

References:

Kozinets, R. V. (2010) Chapter 2 ‘Understanding Culture Online’, Netnography: doing ethnographic research online. London: Sage. pp. 21-40.