Who we are online (with)?
Theoretical framework: Personal boundaries online
Modern technologies provide us with instant connection to internet. Anytime and anywhere. It is brought with certain drawbacks.
In the era of social networks, we are pushed to be online all the time. This is the case especially for the young. Most of their interactions with others are online. Some of them might be under the impression they have to respond immediately otherwise it might be taken as an impoliteness. Some may take unresponsiveness as being ignored or that other party is not interested.
Social networks become a stressing phenomenon.
Hand in hand with this, the pressure on sharing private information intensifies. Social networks provide privacy settings, but the system of likes and comments forces us to reveal the most of our lives. Of course, it doesn’t mean we should demand the young, not to share any information publicly. It is important to initiate debate about what motivates one to public sharing of private information.
It’s not just about the information shared by the young. It is also what they let to enter their internet social bubbles. Sometimes in an attempt to have lots of friends, to be popular or not to avoid any opinion (i.e.: not to be isolated in our own bubble) we let the people we don’t feel good about to be connected with us and let them to act unpleasantly towards us.
We don’t want to judge anyone for their decisions they make online. We strive to convince the young realize they have the option to leave the network, when something hurts them and they also have the option to set an online environment to suit their own needs.
It is OK to be out of reach, not to answer in five minutes and be offline.
The young should know, they have the option to stand against the behavior they don’t like or when they feel hurt. It is our choice to set the boundaries. Others should respect them. As we should respect and protect the boundaries of others.
We don’t want to judge anyone for their decisions they make online. We strive to convince the young realize they have the option to leave the network, when something hurts them and they also have the option to set an online environment to suit their own needs.
Facilitator Team NESEHNUTÍ
Theoretical framework: Online authenticity
We can be what we want online. But are we really the ones, who we want to be?
The authenticity quiz does not attempt criticism of people who edit their photos or share only the content that brings them “fame”. It is all right, if we glamorize our life online or that we pretend to be someone else. It is however necessary to find out, if this is what we really want or if it is demanded by social network culture.
Positive posts get more followers. But is it really the reason not to post anything negative? Political opinions can get hateful reactions. Is it the reason, not to share anything about politics? Sometimes, self-confidence can be interpreted as an act of arrogance. Is it the reason, why not to be proud about one’s own work? These are some of the questions about authenticity that can be discussed with the young.
Practical guidelines
- recommended activity time: 30 minut
- recommended group size: 5 to 30 participants
- aid: attachments Quiz 2 and Quiz 3 (downloadables)
Activity structure and instructions
Printing and circulating quizzes is one of the options. During testing we used online applications filled with questions and answers.
Option 1: Voting application
Project quiz on the screen and study it together in group. Participants vote using their smart devices. Comment questions according to instructions. In application, you can see how many participants answered properly. At the end, you can announce the winners.
Option 2: Ordinary presentation
Project quiz on the screen and study it together in group. Comment questions according to instructions. Participants vote by raising their hands. Comment each question according to instructions.
Option 3: Printed quiz
Print the quiz and let the group to fill it. Then study each question and right answers together in group and comment on it according to instructions. At the end, you can ask participants how many right answers they have.
Different application is suitable for different type of quiz. For these two, we recommend some of the applications that participants can fill on their own and they find out results at the end.
Select a quiz according to the purpose of education. You can also let the group vote which quiz will be realized.
Whether you decide for online or offline option, give at least 10 minutes to fill the quiz and getting familiar with results. Then discuss topics mentioned in theoretical framework.
In quiz 1 (boundaries), the examples of questions we can ask are as follow:
- Which privacy settings do you use?
- Who can see your posts?
- Why did you set it up this way?
- Do you subscribe your friends or followers?
- Do you block someone?
- What leads you to remove or block someone?
In quiz 2 (authenticity), the examples of questions we can ask are as follow:
- Positive posts get more followers. Is this the reason why you post nothing negative?
- Political opinions can get hateful reactions. Is it the reason why you avoid posts about politics?
- Self-confidence can be interpreted as an act of arrogance. Is it the reason, why not to be proud about one’s own work?
You can hand the quiz out to participants when the second activity is finished. They fill it in on their own.
If you decide to use an interactive application, try it before with your smart device or testing personnel. This way, you will prevent your presentation will reveal the answers to questions. Trust us because we saw it ourselves.
Before you use an interactive online app, check the internet connection and that all participants have smart devices. If some of them don’t, make pairs of participants.
Wrapping up and reflection
At the end, ask the participants, whether they learned something new and if they are going to alter their online behavior. Provide space for additional questions.