Don't Be A Bystander

Online violence has become more and more prevalent in the social media universe. Abuse isn't only a physical element, people are being attacked and harassed online. Too many people are just standing by and doing nothing. If you see someone being harassed online, you should step in; don't be a bystander. Intervention can sometimes be the biggest show of support that anyone can do for a victim of online abuse.

Carrie Rentschler's article in the Guardian, Online abuse: we need Good Samaritans on the web, shows some vital facts of the abuse of people in the online environment. 18 - 29 year old's are among the highest percentage of online abuse witnesses, and most of these people are Hispanic and African-American, and women are the highest receivers of "sexual harassment and stalking online."

I agree with Rentschler, in that, people need to be educated about the online violence and ways to prevent it. Witnesses should not be afraid to speak up for the victims while also fearing repercussions from the attackers.

Social Media Constitution

Social Media has become a huge part of people's everyday lives. Most people go onto websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram several times a day. They post, like, and watch a variety of content. While not all of this content may reflect the interests of the user, it can be fairly indicative of their lifestyle choices.

Lori Andrews, author of I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy, believes that users should have more of a sense of privacy:

It should say that social networks are private spaces and that employers, schools and other institutions are prohibited from accessing social network pages or taking adverse actions against a person based on anything they post on a social network. A similar rule is being considered in Germany, which would forbid employers from using information from social networks in the processes of hiring or judging employees.

 While I see where she is coming from, I do believe that employers have a right to be able to see their employees social media. There have been many instances where employees have been fired because of their insensitive, and sometimes just plain stupid, posts or comments. Other times, it's employees insulting their employers or not following their jobs' ethical code.