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Online Bullying key words: cyberbully, troll, bystanders, upstanders, etc.

Going online isn’t as simple as we may think it is. It’s almost literally entering into a different world. On the internet you can be a completely different person. Sometimes, you don’t even have to be a person- going online as an anonymous user, or ‘guest.’ This can be a great thing! Sometimes people will use the internet to make donations, or do something for the greater good. Even better, people will go on as anonymous to keep the attention on what they may be supporting rather than put on themselves. However, this can also be a terrifying reality for some people. Going on the internet as anonymous, or guest or someone else is, not only, really easy, but it gives people the opportunity to take advantage of others. For example, if you don’t like someone at your school, you can go online and bully them without anyone knowing who you are. This is a terible reality and so easy, because if no one knows who you are t here’s no way to hold you accountable for your actions. What’s
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Social Media Activism (Suggested key words: crowdfunding, hashtag, change, social good, etc

As teens, it is a general consensus that we cannot create change because we are not big enough, strong enough, capable enough, smart enough etc. However, in recent years the conversation has begun to change. Teens are being encouraged to use their voice, no matter how small. This change may be because of the advancement of technology. We now, more than ever, have the opportunity to create change because of the platform handed to us. At first, social media was used as a way to promote businesses and advertising. Business owners would use hashtags to create a brand and get people to pay attention. But now, it’s being used as a tool for activism. Used in a similar way, organizers will use a hashtag to get people talking about their movement. For example, Parkland students used the hashtag #MarchForOurLives which garnered the attention of millions of people all over the world. In addition, the black lives matter movement. People were on social media speaking volumes. The Parkl
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Managing Digital Mistakes FLAWsome, etc.

Have you ever made a mistake? Lord knows I have! I have hurt people, I have been disrespectful and I have spoken without thinking… particularly on social media. We all have. When we are upset sometimes we release our emotions online, which can be okay. However, a lot of the time we do not realize the permanent and negative effects that releasing emotions online can have on our reputation. It can ruin friendships and business relationships. Although, there are ways to manage the mistakes we make online so that they cannot ruin our relationships. First, it is important to recognize that you are FLAWsome. Flawsome is understanding that your flaws are exactly the things that makes you awesome. However, it is also how we can manage our online mistakes. When know you are FLAWsome, you are not afraid to own your mistakes! Let’s be honest, there is nothing worse than when somebody knows they are wrong but refuses to admit it just to save face. Doing that just makes things wo
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Grow Your Garden Tags; Post-it forward, non-verbal, face-to-face, tone, endorse, like, follow, re-pin, positive interactions, etc

Our careers are like a garden. Each company is a flower bed and each person within that little bed, is an employee. You are the bee, jumping from flower to flower to keep your garden looking beautiful. It takes nurturing to grow somewhere. Nurturing is easy, all it takes is a little networking. Networking is just planting a seed. You reach out and create relationships and you get your name out there in the process. Now, it’s easier than ever to grow a garden! Before social media we had to do this all in person, but now we can network with people from any company located anywhere. It opens the door to a whole new world of opportunities. What people seem to forget it that, social media is not just something to be used as entertainment. While it is a great way to get entertainment, we should consider it a resourceful tool that we can utilize to help us achieve our dreams. Whether you’re creating a business, or pursuing a career in acting or teaching. You can do this by networkin
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Change is Now! Tags; tweeting, retweet, live events, etc

Why do we have social media? Why did I create a twitter account? Why did you create an Instagram account? Did you create it for fun? Did you create it because someone told you to? Or was it because you wanted it to keep in touch with friends? Or maybe, you wanted to join a conversation… or even start one. Twitter is a bekon for controversial live events and it gives us an opportunity to share and hopefully make change. In this day and age, so many young people doubt their influence on others. However, what they don’t understand is that they have this beautiful tool to let their voices be heard. Before the internet it took a long time to make change, but now we can get our opinion out in seconds. Take, for example, the Florida school shooting. The students are using social media as a platform to raise their voice and make a difference. They are getting a lot of attention, but if it weren’t for social media they may not have that chance. Social media gives us a place to s
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Read the Fine Print! personal information, GPS tracking apps, cyberstalking

When I was younger and webkinz stuffed animals were all the rage, I remember trying to register my account and feeling so defeated when I came to a 60 page long privacy policy. I thought I had to read the whole thing… and I did, or almost did. I got to page 40 when my little 10 year old brain thought, “this is just atrocious! There has to be an end to this madness!” Okay, maybe not in those exact words, but still I was peeved. So, I scrolled to the end and sure enough, there was a button that read ‘I agree.’ “SUCCESS,” My 10 year old self thought. I clicked it and went on my merry way, until now. 10 years later, as social media has skyrocketed and pretty much taken over everyone’s lives I’m realizing the importance of privacy, or the lack thereof. My 10 year old self had the right idea. When we sign up for new websites, how many of us take the time to read and understand the binding contract we are signing? Even if we don’t believe it, it is a contract and if we break it w
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Content tags: story, video, pictures, words, links, context, news feeds, algorithms

The definition of context: NOUN; the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed. Context. Is. Everything. It’s just that plain and simple. Gaining just a little bit of context can save us from so many messy situations, yet we still do not give it the credit it deserves. Context supplies our over imaginative minds, boundaries so we do not get out of control and create something out of nothing. Consider this situation for example, you invite your boyfriend to a party. He goes to get you a soda, while you start mingling. As he walks  back into the room  to meet you he sees you hugging another guy and before pulling away this guy kisses you on the cheek. Your boyfriend gets angry, he makes a huge scene and leaves only to break up with you the next day without ever asking for context. Meanwhile, you are utterly heartbroken because it was a family party and the guy who kissed you on the cheek w
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