Cyberbullying, Internet Privacy, and other depressing topics

On Cyberbullying
One reason this is such a difficult topic is that with the advent of Web 2.0, people of all ages have unfortunately gone off the rails and filled the internet with insults, hate speech and personal attacks of all kinds.  It is hard to find a comments section on any website, on any type of article or post that does not have hateful, inappropriate messages from posters -- despite moderation of comments sections, and pleas for respect from the website itself.  And we're talking about adults, here!  It's no wonder that kids and teens, who are both impressionable and not as emotionally mature as adults (though one wonders, when one sees what adults post...), will engage in this unfortunate online behavior as well.

Maybe the biggest difference between adult and youth behavior in this realm is that it seems like many adults act this way because they are anonymous online, and the format of the web allows them to put up any kind of hateful speech with hardly a reprimand, since they're not face to face.  How many people would actually say the things they post?  It's extremely cowardly and distasteful, but I'm not sure how to stop it among adults.  Kids and teens who bully online, while sometimes remaining anonymous, just as often will not try to hide their identity -- either because they are self-centered enough that they want everybody to know what they're doing, that they're trying to show off among their friends, OR they don't even know how to hide their identity online, and are not concerned about the consequences -- this particular point relates to internet privacy, something that I'll discuss more below.

danah boyd's article, "The Unintended Consequences of Cyberbullying Rhetoric" (2011), makes a fantastic point:

     For most teenagers, the language of bullying does not resonate. When teachers come in and give anti-bullying messages, it has little effect on most teens. Why? Because most teens are not willing to recognize themselves as a victim or as an aggressor. To do so would require them to recognize themselves as disempowered or abusive. They aren’t willing to go there.

Kids and teens have very fragile egos, and are not likely to admit (especially to a teacher, in front of the class) that they are either a victim or an aggressor.  Indeed, as boyd points out as well, many teens won't even admit that there's bullying going around, much less that they're somehow a part of it.  Calling it "drama" is a defense mechanism, and because there is so much drama in high school overall (bullying or not, there's always going to be best friends and breakups, embarrassments and showing off, all of those things that make us adults cringe when we look back on them), it can be easy for kids (and teachers) to just lump it all together, for better or worse.  Therefore, instead of assigning blame to certain 'types' of students, or scaring kids into not bullying because of the consequences (not that students shouldn't know that there are legal consequences for bullying; it just shouldn't be the only approach), I agree with boyd and Alice Marwick that:         

the focus should be to work within teenagers’ cultural frame, encourage empathy and help young people understand when and where drama has serious consequences. Interventions must focus on positive concepts like healthy relationships and digital citizenship rather than starting with the negative framing of bullying. The key is to help young people feel independently strong, confident and capable without first requiring them to see themselves as either an oppressed person or an oppressor. ("Bullying as True Drama: Why Cyberbullying Rhetoric Misses the Mark," 2011).

How the School Library Can Help:
The school library can certainly work within teens' cultural frame, and focus on positive concepts like the ones mentioned above.  The themes of digital citizenship and online responsibility can certainly be worked into the school library curriculum, and will fit several AASL standards:

•  1.3.5 - Use information technology responsibly
• 3.1.6 - Use information and technology responsibly and ethically
• 3.3.2 - Respect the differing interests and experiences of others, and seek a variety of viewpoints.
• 4.3.4 - Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.

Here is  a video example, created by high schoolers, about online responsibility, internet privacy, and what that could mean for one's future:

An additional way that teachers and librarians can appeal to kids when teaching about internet privacy is to learn more about corporations' information gathering, and why Facebook really wants you to "like" Coca-Cola or Rocawear or whatever.  Of course, getting free stuff is popular, and who doesn't want a chance to win something free online?  But if the librarian presents a lesson about what corporations are getting from you, and all of the personal information they store about you, then students might wake up a little bit, know that companies don't have your best interests in mind,  and will be more knowledgeable about online advertising -- it's way more than just banner ads, or a 30 second ad at the beginning of a youtube video.  After the lesson about online information gathering by corporations, students will be armed with ways to ensure more of their privacy online (opting out, unchecking "email update" boxes, not putting in your personal email address, or street address, etc.)

  

In terms of cyberbullying, it is important that students feel empowered about themselves, and their relationships with peers and adults.  One thing that can help with this is making the school library into a centerpiece of the school community, a safe and enjoyable place for all members of the school.  Without labeling them as "counseling sessions," the school librarian (as well as other teachers, and the school therapist/psychologist) can set up no-pressure after school sessions, where students are free to come to the library, hang out, and talk about what's going well for them, what's hard for them, how they're feeling that day.  Incentivized by free snacks, and maybe even sometimes a (semi-related) movie, this can be a place and time for students to unwind, talk about their emotions, and feel supported by their teachers and peers in a no-pressure environment.  This is not a sure-fire solution, to be sure, but it's a start.