Netiquette

Ha, am back into GP tutor mode...
This issue came up during your exams so not sure how many of you read about it. Some students won a visit by the boyband Click Five in a radio contest but their principal disallowed the visit. The students wrote in to STOMP to complain about the school's decision and the comments and discussion became quite heated and pretty ugly. (You can read about it here - http://mediaclub.stomp.com.sg/hotstuff/view/page/17)
Thought this article about how many teens are unable to use the media appropriately to voice their opinions is pretty good food-for-thought, especially about the fine balance between media freedom and responsibility....haha, in case you miss GP...
Btw, STOMP can be rather entertaining when you are bored..here are 2 threads that might be interesting for all of you: http://talkback.stomp.com.sg/forums/showthread.php?t=27789, http://talkback.stomp.com.sg/forums/showthread.php?t=14459

Many young users still fall short in netiquette
TESSA WONG / The Straits Times / 12/11/2007

A RECENT incident involving an online campaign by local teens has shown that Net-savviness and brash immaturity make a lousy mix.

For the uninitiated, the principal of a local girls’ school decided to cancel a scheduled appearance of boyband The Click Five, even though hundreds of students had voted for their appearance in an online contest hosted by radio station 987FM.

A series of unhappy letters from students was published on Stomp’s Media Club site, accusing the school of trampling on student rights. The resulting online discussions degenerated into mud slinging and flaming, not just of the school’s authorities, but among students too.

While I’m all for students fighting for their rights, it was disappointing to see the incident turn into a bitter, rude online whinge-fest. If anything, it only reinforced the principal’s position that the students were just not mature enough.

Let’s face it, this kind of unbridled online behaviour is pretty typical of young users nowadays. Many see the Internet these days as a wailing wall, but too few realise – or care – that it is also a platform by which they are publicly judged.

They don’t understand that going too far in venting their frustrations usually means winding up with egg on their faces, and looking far worse than the people who wronged them.

Perhaps, the incident also shows that current efforts by educators to teach teens responsible Internet behaviour are still woefully inadequate.

This isn’t a new problem.

For years, the Government and the media have emphasised the pressing need to educate youths on responsible, safe conduct online.

Concrete steps have been taken, in the form of school talks by community groups and the Media Development Authority.

This year, cyber wellness programmes have also become a small component of the civics and moral education curriculum for lower primary and lower secondary students.

But when such pettiness ensues, I wonder whether this is really enough, and whether such lessons are merely going in one ear and out the other.

The feeling I get from talking to Net-savvy teens is that many still cannot be bothered, and often brush off advice on netiquette and safe conduct on the Net.

I suppose that cannot be helped. After all, any normal teen automatically switches off at the first sign of nagging. I remember snoozing through moral education classes in school too – more often than not, they tended to be filled with didactic, preachy content.

So what can be done?

Well, teens could be taught how to think more critically about their online interactions, and “Net deportment” – how to carry yourself online without coming across as churlish – could be emphasised more strongly in the curriculum, too.

But most importantly, instead of giving them worksheets or pithy speeches on responsibility, educators and parents could engage teens regularly in constructive discussions about what is appropriate online behaviour.

This means parents first need to understand the importance of the new media in a teen’s life; that is vital, considering they use the Internet in every aspect of their lives, from socialising and shopping to entertainment and communication.

Parents can avoid shying away from conversations with their teens about blogs or social networks, and instead get themselves involved with such new media.

How better to understand their children’s Internet habits, and hence initiate such dialogue?

The more adults are willing to open up and ask the young how they live their wired lives, the easier it may be to bond with them, impart the right values, and teach the right lessons.

For any teenager reading this, don’t push away Mum and Dad.

Yes, it can get weird teaching them how to use things like Facebook. But they mean well, and this could be a good opportunity for you to help them understand your life and your needs.

They may not understand the technical applications, but they have experience when it comes to dealing with emotions.

Chances are, they will be able to guide you on the right way to handle your feelings and behave online.
Better this than risking all that egg on your face.