Scott's Week 5 Aha!

Each week it seems I think about or learn something I hadn't expected . . . this week is no different.  We've spent a considerable amount of time talking, researching, blogging, and learning about digital society, and this is just something to which I hadn't given much thought.  I suppose I knew there was such a thing as a cyberbully, but I really didn't know how it could be all that different from a mean kid on the playground.  Turns out, the differences are profound. 

What I don't know, however, is just how big the problem is.  It seems to me that a thoughtful news consumer should ask meaningful questions and approach news stories with a healthy dose of skepticism rather than mindlessly accepting every detail without critical thought.  I wonder if cyberbullying is as ubiquitous as primetime news anchors would like us to think, or if the subject has been sensationalized lately with a few high-profile cases.  This is not to say a problem doesn't exist; it's to say we should place the problem in the proper context when assigning priority and proposing methods of resolution. 

In my view, digital citizenship has quite a lot in common with the regular old process of being a good person, whether on-line or off.  Teaching children right from wrong, holding them accountable for their behaviour, and protecting them from harm have always been parental responsibilities; the advent of digital communities simply provides yet another set or relationships for parents to monitor. 

In short, I don't think I really have a firm enough grasp on the problem to speak with authority one way or another, but I tend to think the problem is a bit overblown, and that parents, rather than educators and public service websites, are positioned to make the largest impact.