The challenges and risks that social media brings to higher education range from small distractions keeping students inattentive in their studies to serious legal concerns. With the rapid advancement and impact of social media, potential for cyberbullying, and possible slander, many higher education institutions realize the need for changes in policy. Administrations cannot stop the force of social media. Scholars, like Rodgers, feel that creating new policies are an attempt at establishing control to protect the institution. Instituting social media policies are the best way an institution can safeguard itself for legal purposes. Social media shows no signs of disappearing anytime soon, so it is important for universities to establish policies and strategies for appropriate use. They allow administrations to familiarize themselves with and support their constituencies, and intervene as needed. As Junco describes, social media policies provide “the campus community guidance in behaviors that are expected online in the same way that campuses have honor codes” that students and staff are required to follow (Junco). At Vanderbilt University, the administration defends the purpose of their Student Honor Code is to promote the integrity of academia (“The Honor System,” 2014). Like honor codes, social media policies hold students and staff to be accountable for their digital actions. Prior to the social media boom, the outcome of the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District case ruled schools have the right to seize a student’s freedom of speech in order to maintain an institution’s stability. This decision has been an important factor in the recent lawsuits that contest users’ online activity. In the case of Reno v... ... middle of paper ... ...icies to protect their institution. The University of Surrey, southwest of London, published their “Policy on Use of Social Network Sites” in 2008 through their Human Resources Department. The document clearly defines what behavior is acceptable or unacceptable. Any negative comments or posts by employees who claim their affiliation with the institution “may constitute misconduct… and disciplinary action will be applied” (McNeill, 2012; “Policy on Use of Social Network Sites,” 2008). The University of South Wales, another institution in the UK, has a comparable policy that’s purpose is to “encourage good practice, protect the University and its employees, clarify where and how existing policies and guidelines apply to social media (“Social Media Policy,” 2013). Interestingly enough, the USW’s policy is connected with their ‘Marketing and Student Recruitment’ webpage.
In an article written in the New England Journal of Higher Education, 2008 issue, by Dana Fleming, “Youthful Indiscretions: Should Colleges Protect Social Network Users from Themselves and Others?” Fleming poses the question of responsibility in monitoring students’ online social networking activities. Fleming’s purpose is to impress upon the readers the need for education institutions to state the guidelines and rules governing social networking, and “to treat them like any other university activity, subject to the school’s code of conduct and applicable state and federal laws” (443). She creates a dramatic tone in order to convey to her readers the idea that social networking can be sinister and their effects inescapable. Dana L. Fleming is a Boston area attorney who specializes in higher education law, with the mission of the New England Journal of Higher Education to engage and assist leaders in the assessment, development, and implementation of sound education practices and policies of regional significance. However, while Dana Fleming emphasizes the horror stories of social networking, she scatters her thoughts throughout this article springing from one idea to attempting to persuade her intended audience then juxtaposed stories about minors being hurt by poor social networking decisions contrasting the topic suggested in her title.
Higher education law attorney Dana L. Fleming voices her controversial opinion in favor of institutionalized involvement in social network protection in her article “Youthful Indiscretions: Should Colleges Protect Social Network Users from Themselves and Others?” (Fleming). Posted in the New England Journal of Higher Education, winter of 2008 issue, Fleming poses the question of responsibility in monitoring students’ online social networking activities. With a growing population of students registering on social networks like Facebook and MySpace, she introduces the concern of safety by saying, “like lawmakers, college administrators have not yet determined how to handle the unique issues posed by the public display of their students’ indiscretions.” However, while Dana Fleming emphasizes the horror stories of social networking gone-bad, she neglects the many positive aspects of these websites and suggests school involvement in monitoring these sites when the role of monitoring should lie with parents or the adult user.
Reno v. ACLU is the 1997 landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court providing sweeping free speech protection on the Internet. Understandably, commentators from legal and political spheres have discussed the case in terms of familiar First Amendment issues, including precedents from telecommunications law, the long-recognized exception to free speech for "obscenity," and concern for the exposure of children to inappropriate materials.
In “Youthful Indiscretions: Should Colleges Protect Social Network Users from Themselves and Others?” Dana Fleming presents an essay concerning the safety of social networking sites and how Universities can deal and prevent problems. This article is targeted towards school administrators, faculty, and a social networking user audience who will either agree or disagree with her statement. I believe Fleming presents an excellent, substantial case for why she reasons the way she does. Fleming gives a sound, logical argument according to Toulmin’s Schema. This essay has an evident enthymeme, which has a claim and reasons why she believes in that way. Toulmin refers to this as “grounds."
NCAA Division I schools are putting a hold on student athlete use of social media. The NCAA fears that the use of social media can only be a huge distraction but also release game-day strategies. It blames Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks for negative attention and conduct that violates the NCAA regulations. The NCAA is placing bans on Facebook and Twitter, however they do not realize that these restrictions contradict with First Amendment and the freedom of speech. Several Division I programs have gone as far as to contract with outside vendors to keep an eye on the social media accounts of student athletes. The students are required to becomes “friends” with the vendors Facebook page in order for the vendor to be able to ke...
George Washington once stated “If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” Like George Washington stated, freedom of speech should be preserved and practiced, many would agree to that, but it should also be regulated so that it does not affect the life of a student in the near future because they say something online and later regret it. Although many debate that placing limits on social media is eliminating a form of how they express themselves, it happens to be negative to the school environment and affects many aspects of school. Thinking twice before posting something is a helpful skill that adds an extra layer to the amount of discipline a student has and reaches to the extent
McCarthy, M. (2005). THE CONTINUING SAGA OF INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION ACT. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, (2), 83-101.
Every day, millions of people surf the web for educational and entertainment purposes. Now that more and more people are using technology on a daily basis, there has been much discussion on whether or not cyberbullies should be prosecuted for writing vulgar or inappropriate messages towards other people. Cyberbullies should not be prosecuted for the statements they make on social media. Prosecuting cyberbullies would infringe on American’s first amendment, squander taxes, and discourage citizen’s responsibility. Although prosecuting cyberbullies may be beneficial, this proposal would have many negative consequences.
There are many teachers that play nice and let students get away with it. These students end up being a distraction to the teacher and class. Teachers need to be able to do their job professionally by controlling these situations properly. Schools need to enforce a policy that controls this. “Large institutions were more likely than any other size to have individual units with their own social media policies: 15.7% of all unique large institutions, but 5% or less for institutions of all other sizes. This is likely due to the fact that large institutions are more likely than smaller to be divided up into units that operate semi-independently, such as colleges, schools, or medical facilities. The fact that “very large” institutions did not have policies at the same rate is likely an artifact of the Carnegie Classification data file, as very large institutions are exclusively 2-year institutions – and as discussed above, 2-year institutions are less likely to have social media policies.” (Sources 2 Campus Units with Social Media Policy’s) When signing up for a high school class, you are signing up for it to complete it as a general requirement to graduate, not to use it for social media. A school has always been a public place for learning, not a social media hangout location. Schools need to continue to promote this definition to demonstrate what they were built for. By doing this, schools can lead a good example in keeping students less
Facebook was causing problems for University IT departments long before it was ever called Facebook. In 2003, Zuckerberg created an Am I Hot or Not? application on his facemash.com site and was accused of “breaching security, violating copyrights and violating individual privacy” (Kaplan, 2003). So it isn’t surprising that Mitrano, the Director of IT Policy and Computer Policy & Law at Cornell seeks to warn the Cornell student body of possible consequences of irresponsible use of Facebook in the article Thoughts on Facebook. What is surprising is that IT policy guidance is typically found in an actual policy document, rather than an essay or article. Mitrano sought to provide Cornell IT policy guidance on the ramifications of Facebook via friendly Facebook advice from a credible source. Because of missed opportunities to inform, overriding concerns over policy, and lack of knowledge regarding the controls within the Facebook application, Mitrano’s article was not as persuasive as it should have been.
Exposing students to the power of social media in the classroom is an important part of preparing them to be active and positive digital citizens in a 21st century world. In the last two years, my own students have rapidly been drawn to Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and many other social networking platforms. They upload, share, and connect with others often without any regard to how their digital footprints may reflect them as individuals. Having continuous conversations with students about the choices that they make can lead to positive results. Students don't realize how powerful social media platforms can be in terms of networking, researching, and engaging in academic conversations. It makes me laugh every time I hear them whisper about my colleague Heather's or my Twitter feed. First of all kids, I can hear you. Second of all, yes, social media can be an amazing way to give and exchanged knowledge.
Freedom of Speech in Cyberspace: Government Restrictions on Content in the United States of America
Students ignoring school rules and policies students operating online often times forget the school rules and policies as they often times do not make the connection with social media and the school and the fact that anything posted on social media tools does have an impact on the school. There is also the risk of students posting things on social media sites that can have a negative impact on them in the future. For e...
Social Media has become a very essential tool in the society; in addition, it has a huge impact on communication and learning process. Social media is defined as websites and applications used for social networking. “As of September 2013, seventy-one percent of online adult use Facebook, eighteen percent use Twitter and seventeen percent use Instagram, twenty-two percent use PInterest, and another twenty-two percent use LinkedIn. (PewReasearch, 2013). In addition, "Between February 2005 and August 2006, the use of social networking sites among young adult internet user ages eighteen and twenty-nine jumped from nine percent to forty-nine percent. The usage of social media had grown drastically.” On social media sites like these, users may develop biographical profiles, communicate with friends and strangers, do research, and share thoughts, photos, music, links, and more” (Socialnetworking.procon,2012). Social media has impacted everyone in several different ways. In this present time, majority of college student use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media has a bold impact college student's grades, social interactions, and the teaching and learning process.
The popularity of social media is rapidly increasing in the last few decades. This may be due to the students of colleges and universities as well as youth is widely used for global access. Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have become a craze for everyone nowadays. In these cases, some students are more concerned about social media or social networks than on teaching by lecturers and will cause affected their academic performance.