As a fifty something, a veteran teacher, and a community volunteer I feel like I have a handle on citizenship, both in person and digitally. However, in the digital world, I must admit that I can sometimes forget to "remember the human" (Shea, 1994). I think most of us will admit to that from time to time, at least.
I also feel that most of us will agree that post COVID-19 lockdowns, the general digital conscience seems to falter occasionally, making it difficult to tolerate the behaviours (comments) of the others, within our own social circles and within groups of common interests, though we may have never met. It can be that anonymity makes it easier to forget there is a human on the receiving side of our interactions, a human of which we are unfamiliar of the consequences and circumstances that have led them to making their post.
Our online actions define us as digital citizens, so it is imperative that our words are chosen with deliberation, commanding us to make intentional choices for our audience. Shea (2011) further notes that it is our obligation to ensure that the time spent reading posts on social media is not time wasted by our audience. We are all aware that our social media is sometimes viewed by people we have never met and certainly, I believe, we want to make a good impression. I am guilty of becoming frustrated and exasperated when reading other's posts, particularly posts that start with "Please no negative comments" or "I'm not looking for any smart remarks " or, better yet, the posts that are vague and beg someone to inquire further, such as the single statement "What a day I had!"
Depending upon how my own day has played out, I may find it quite difficult to tolerate such comments, but I force myself to remember that I only have control over my own thoughts, actions, and words and I cannot know the context for another's post, nor the circumstances that led to any such type of post. This means that the onus is not solely on the author, but also on the audience, to apply due diligence to their reactions, so despite my exasperation with these types of comments, I intentionally choose not to ignite a social media frenzy with my internal retorts.
Giving consideration to Shea's rumination, "Would I say this to a person's face?" (Shea, 1994), all I can do is ask myself that question before replying and sometimes the answer lies in the relationship I have with the other person and then make an intentional decision to reply or continue to scroll on by.
References
Shea, V. (1994). Netiquette. Albion Press.
Comments