Imagine if students in high schools started offering social media education as a course just like other subjects they offer, like literacy and computer education. This means that the students will have the opportunity to understand very well how social media works, the risks involved, and the opportunities over there, without also overlooking the downsides associated with this particular knowledge as well.
In today's digital world, social media has become a major part of our lives, including those of teenagers at the high school. A tool not just for entertainment but for connecting with others, doing business, research, learning courses, and more. However, a lot of people who use social media are naive about it; they don't understand both the positive and negative impacts it poses on the users. They get misinformation; some are victims of negative circumstances due to lack of adequate knowledge about the use of social media; some are even addicted, but then….
What if there are dedicated teachers in schools who take students in this subject and give them the right education? Sounds like a good idea but comes with a lot of concerns as well.
First of all, let's explore the benefits of educating the students all about social media. Learning effectively and being responsible on social media is one great benefit students stand to achieve. It's obvious that on social media, there are both real and fake news, there are phishing links, there are predators, and all these and more will be taught to the students: how to identify them, analyze them, protect themselves, and be on the safer side. A lot of people bully others online, and people fall victim, affecting their mental health, but with the right education, students will stay informed for their good. The mistakes others made in the past and got trapped using social media wouldn't be seen on these students because they are informed.
Also, people build their careers on social media; obviously, the knowledge of utilizing the social media tool will be impacted in the lives of these students, giving them the opportunity to learn and earn through this means, plus other advantages you can think of.However, there are some concerns...
Finding the right teachers with technical skills to nurture these students on this course might be difficult and also expensive. Secondly, when these students are highly exposed to the nitty-gritty of social media, misusing it by some students is inevitable. I heard a story of a 17-year-old boy who learned the use of social media so well to the point of manipulating the system, earning so high at his age through wrong means anyway. At a point, he boldly told his parents that there's no need for him to continue school anymore as he is now financially okay. The story is a long one, which I wouldn't want to bore you with, but the concern remains that some students wouldn't only stick with the learning the good side alone.
Children of this era are too curious; they would always want to explore and explore to discover hidden things that weren't even taught, and they could end up being too much exposed negatively and start misusing information.
Despite some downsides of this idea of incorporating social media education in schools ,I feel the advantage is more and it's important as it's something that would expose the students on the necessary knowledge they need to navigate through the online world early enough for the good-staying informed rightly.
This is my response to the #HiveLearners community contest on the topic titled, Social Media.
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I think the most important thing about taking classes about social media is preventing the dangers that naive people normally encounter online when they are not informed.
Yea..it's one of the vital reasons for this kind of education...but taking this subject means that a lot will be covered too, getting the students more exposed. Don't you think so?
It sounds good and promising to teach high school students how to operate on social media but looking at the way most teenagers use social media now even before they were been taught speak a lot of how they will misuse the knowledge once they have it.
Exactly...I want to believe that many will benefit from it and use the knowledge rightly but of course, there must be Judas who will cross the boundaries..lol
Lol 😂 and it seems like those Judas are more than the ones that would use the knowledge wisely
Sure thing 😃
This one is quite thoughtful one and I think adding social media subject in study can be a good step to educate child about the better use of it. But obviously there will have some negative impact also and we need to be careful also.
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Of course, the negative effects is sure but it's still something that can be managed while focusing on the main goal
Its would have been great, if social media will be taught. The rate at which children surf the internet and learn all manner of things is alarming
It's really alarming oo.. parents too have a lot of work to do
Like you rightly mentioned, we have lots of benefits for our children to learn this in school. I also believe that some of these evil people do on social media will reduce to an extent.
Thanks for sharing
It's important that they are informed so they wouldn't be online victims.... hopefully most of them don't use the knowledge negatively
The advantages of social media education outweigh the downsides, as it equips students with essential skills to navigate the online world effectively.
You have said it all👌
Exactly my dear....it's hard to even see an initiative without it's downside
Yes, learning social media as other courses at school would help our students to understand the world of social media and to navigate opportunities in it.
That's the idea...it will make more sense that they stay informed
You are right, curiosity is an important issue here, and it needs to be channelled well. It's a whole world that young people find behind their screens. The idea is that they don't die trying. Regards @nkemakonam89
Yea... really a nice idea viewpoint and that's why it's vital that they stay informed
Nice article.
Hi ma'am, do you stay in Lagos, please can we connect on discord, need your help on a particular location.
What location are you looking for? I can't seem to understand how to get my discord handle at the moment..but u can search me via Hive naija community discord server or hive learners discord server
42, Sunday Arogbade Avenue, Off Lekki Free Trade Zone, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.
That's the location ma
I really don't know this location bro. I am sorry...why not use Google map to check it?
I totally concur that social media literacy is an essential life skill. Your post underlines how vital it is to instruct digital citizenship in addition to technical abilities. "For their well-being and future success, it is absolutely vital that pupils can spot misinformation, secure their privacy, and interact respectfully over the internet.
That's the point.. thanks for engaging
My pleasure! Have a great day!
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