english,
You may have heard or seen the recent uproar in social media, specifically Twitter, concerning a tweet that caused disagreement among the students of UPIS who were aware of the commotion. Some students expressed anger at the tweet and chose to post their opinion of it; some tried to minimize the damage by encouraging people to take the high road and some just didn’t care. But there are a lot of arguments discussing what should have been done or who really is to blame for the chaos that ensued.
This isn’t the first time that social media has been a medium for conflict between students and this does not only affect the UPIS community. It’s an international problem that consistently shows up and predominantly manifests itself in comments sections that goad even passive readers. It arises from the moral differences that create the rift in the meaning of social media responsibility.
Moral differences cause diverse views on what is right or wrong. A person’s thoughts about responsibility may be different from another person. It isn’t illegal to have different thoughts on the matter but it makes it difficult as a society to peacefully interact with one another. Let us define social media responsibility as the duty of being accountable for whatever activity one does online along with the assurance that no one is harmed because of it.
A person is free to do whatever he/she wants online. Granted that it is your business whatever you post, remember that you are responsible for what you do. But, like nobody can stop you from posting what you want online, how people will react to it is also out of your control. If you have an opinion, they have one, too. If you are allowed to say what you want, they are, too.
For this reason, it is actually productive to be respectful to and of one another. Having varying opinions isn’t the problem here. People need a healthy debate that promotes open-mindedness and helps everybody learn something new. However, if you have something to say, you don’t have to be rude.
Criticism is supposed to be beneficial to the person criticizing and the person being criticized. It is supposed to help them improve. Therefore, a well-mannered exchange is far more valuable than an absurd barrage of insults and obscenities that help no one in the long run. If it’s to someone you know in real life it’s even better to just say it face-to-face, especially if you have a problem with one another. The reality of it is we hide behind our computers and phones instead of interacting with each other as well as we should in real life.
Online commotion caused by conflict and irresponsible use of social media should not only be blamed on one person. It can be said that there will always be someone who will be the instigator of the mess he/she will find themselves in, but it cannot be denied that the people who react carelessly are also instruments to the disharmony. Posts that are poorly worded or expressed in a vulgar manner would offend anybody and is prone to misinterpretation. Additionally, commenting or reacting thoughtlessly is like feeding fuel to the fire, an attempt at further aggravating everyone involved.
The likelihood of hurting someone emotionally through online interaction is actually high. Dragging an already dismal situation longer than it should have lasted could scar the people who are affected by it. Unpleasant experiences online can manifest itself in real life and influence how a person interacts offline. Challenging as it may, it’s worth it to try to clarify the situation to understand where other people are coming from.
We are given the freedom to do whatever we want online. It is both a privilege and a responsibility. Let us use it for better purposes than sending shade and mean statements to one another. You have every right to air your opinion, as I am expressing mine now. But people also have the right to be respected as we would want to be respected.
Let us never forget that our words are the sum of who we are, and thus we shouldn’t use them lightly. Change the stigma that surrounds social media, show people that it’s more than just the “online cancer” but the stage for a community to help other out in the name of progress. // by Hillary Fajutagana
Opinion: The Online Battle
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You may have heard or seen the recent uproar in social media, specifically Twitter, concerning a tweet that caused disagreement among the students of UPIS who were aware of the commotion. Some students expressed anger at the tweet and chose to post their opinion of it; some tried to minimize the damage by encouraging people to take the high road and some just didn’t care. But there are a lot of arguments discussing what should have been done or who really is to blame for the chaos that ensued.
This isn’t the first time that social media has been a medium for conflict between students and this does not only affect the UPIS community. It’s an international problem that consistently shows up and predominantly manifests itself in comments sections that goad even passive readers. It arises from the moral differences that create the rift in the meaning of social media responsibility.
Moral differences cause diverse views on what is right or wrong. A person’s thoughts about responsibility may be different from another person. It isn’t illegal to have different thoughts on the matter but it makes it difficult as a society to peacefully interact with one another. Let us define social media responsibility as the duty of being accountable for whatever activity one does online along with the assurance that no one is harmed because of it.
A person is free to do whatever he/she wants online. Granted that it is your business whatever you post, remember that you are responsible for what you do. But, like nobody can stop you from posting what you want online, how people will react to it is also out of your control. If you have an opinion, they have one, too. If you are allowed to say what you want, they are, too.
For this reason, it is actually productive to be respectful to and of one another. Having varying opinions isn’t the problem here. People need a healthy debate that promotes open-mindedness and helps everybody learn something new. However, if you have something to say, you don’t have to be rude.
Criticism is supposed to be beneficial to the person criticizing and the person being criticized. It is supposed to help them improve. Therefore, a well-mannered exchange is far more valuable than an absurd barrage of insults and obscenities that help no one in the long run. If it’s to someone you know in real life it’s even better to just say it face-to-face, especially if you have a problem with one another. The reality of it is we hide behind our computers and phones instead of interacting with each other as well as we should in real life.
Online commotion caused by conflict and irresponsible use of social media should not only be blamed on one person. It can be said that there will always be someone who will be the instigator of the mess he/she will find themselves in, but it cannot be denied that the people who react carelessly are also instruments to the disharmony. Posts that are poorly worded or expressed in a vulgar manner would offend anybody and is prone to misinterpretation. Additionally, commenting or reacting thoughtlessly is like feeding fuel to the fire, an attempt at further aggravating everyone involved.
The likelihood of hurting someone emotionally through online interaction is actually high. Dragging an already dismal situation longer than it should have lasted could scar the people who are affected by it. Unpleasant experiences online can manifest itself in real life and influence how a person interacts offline. Challenging as it may, it’s worth it to try to clarify the situation to understand where other people are coming from.
We are given the freedom to do whatever we want online. It is both a privilege and a responsibility. Let us use it for better purposes than sending shade and mean statements to one another. You have every right to air your opinion, as I am expressing mine now. But people also have the right to be respected as we would want to be respected.
Let us never forget that our words are the sum of who we are, and thus we shouldn’t use them lightly. Change the stigma that surrounds social media, show people that it’s more than just the “online cancer” but the stage for a community to help other out in the name of progress. // by Hillary Fajutagana
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