Friday, October 22, 2010

Cyber Accountability

I have a new talk show I like that airs during the day while I am at work, thank heavens for dvr, right? The Talk is a show of women sitting around talking about issues, sounds familiar but is less political than some other talk show formats that are similar. Anyway they had Chandra Wilson on yesterday and I adore her, so of course I made sure to catch up on 'my programs' last night.

The opening segment was talking about the Glee racy photos, which I shall not comment on here, and cyber bullying. I actually liked what they had to say about being accountable for what we put online and wanted to share it. We were talking about something similar in class this week too only from an employer standpoint. Did you know that items you post about work or fellow employees on facebook, blogs, or tweets can be used by employers for employee reviews? Since the internet is public it is 'fair game' for employers too. Likewise many employers can monitor email correspondence that is sent using the work provided email service without giving you warning. So while many times we might want to vent online or email about work related issues it is not generally the best idea and there could be consequences.

So after watching this clip, do you agree or disagree that online services should be required to provide the identity of those who abuse their sites to bully others? I am torn though I lean more toward the side of "stop being a coward and hiding behind your cyber name." I can see both sides of the argument, but I have never been cyber bullied. I do think that if you cannot say something to my face you better not be a coward and put in online. Rude. I also think that if we were required to put our real names on things many people would be much more cautious in what they say.

3 comments:

Jenny said...

The old saying goes... "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."
I think that rule should apply to the internet world to.

Slander is slander whether in person or online. I absolutely agree that online services should provide the identity of someone who is breaking the law.

If a bully walked up to a victim on the street masked and unidentified then proceeded to be verbally abusive and a police officer showed up, that bully would not have to right to stay masked because it was his right to hide his identity.
(wow that was a really bad wordy sentence)

People that are victimized on the internet deserve to know.

That being said people have a right to an opinion. However, when it crosses the line and becomes abusive, they should be held accountable.

Candice J said...

I AGREE WITH THEM!! If you want to say something about someone, say it to their face not online. It shows that these bullys aren't tough, they're cowards. I think it's great that this woman got a court order. I agree with what Leah said at the end about starting the fight and then saying they had nothing to do with it. I think I'm going to have to start watching this show.

Caroline said...

Somehow I caught this program in the middle of the day. I myself was caught with some middle of the road thinking. I still don't have an opinion as of right now but I am glad there is discussion about it.