Online behavior of students is an interesting topic for discussion because it still has not been researched well enough. The Internet allows students to express their opinions in various, previously unavailable ways. Online interactions may lead to new relationships and sometimes have a positive influence on the education process.
However, there are some complications. Universities feel responsible for the comments of their students because their reputation is at stake. Extremely offensive online posts may damage the future career of a student, so there should be measures to protect the students from making crucial mistakes. Universities should punish students for their questionable online behavior dependant on the situation, and conditions should be researched.
The issue is that students should be able to voice their opinion because of the freedom of speech. The problem is that sometimes these views are extremely controversial, and universities do not want to be associated with such comments. The problem is that the Internet and social media allow such points of view to be seen by millions of people. It is a relatively new form of social interaction, which still has not been adequately studied.
This way of communication slightly differs because of various factors (Arendholz 5). Online behavior of a person is dramatically different and “sometimes the character portrayed online bears little resemblance to a student’s true character” (Flanigan par. 17). This means that the Internet allows students to act the way they would not be allowed to in public. However, it must be understood that most of the time people behave on social media in the same way that they would among their peers.
Online communication is used by students to form relationships (Zheng, Burrow-Sanchez and Drew 3). It should not be disregarded that people are extremely prone to the influence of their peers at this age. Students that suffer from chronic depression are more likely to post inappropriate comments or make offensive videos.
The problem is that people may change their behavior, and it is more similar to their behavior online (Amichai-Hamburger 93). This means that if one sees a positive response from peers about their online behavior, the person may start to act the same way in public so. Furthermore, students should be disciplined to prevent harmful consequences.
There is always a possibility that they would post inappropriate comments or videos.
In my opinion, officials should warn parents about dangers of the social media to protect students from the information that could harm them and their psyches. However, access to the Internet should not be entirely limited. When it comes to education, the information is better perceived by students when it is delivered on the Internet.
The attention span of students is reduced because they are used to social media and fast access to information (Paul, Baker and Cochran 2118). Use of devices should be strictly prohibited during classes. The Internet helps students to develop their social identity (Jenkins 29). It is important for one to have an understanding of his social identity to function as an individual.
The Internet can be used at any place at any time, so students may not think about the consequences of their actions. There are programs that help with monitoring online activities of students on university computers. However, universities should let the students express themselves on the Internet because it is necessary for every individual.
In conclusion, the Internet is a great platform for communication between students because it has changed the way people perceive information. However, there are some complications because it affects the education process. Inappropriate online comments posted by a student may damage the reputation of a university.
Students should be punished for their inappropriate online behavior only in the most severe cases. However, such factors as the mental state of a student and problems in the family should be researched. Overall, universities should look for the root of the problem and not just blame students for their missteps.
Works Cited
Amichai-Hamburger, Yair. The Social Net: Understanding Our Online Behavior. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.
Arendholz, Jenny. (In)Appropriate Online Behavior. Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins Pub. Co., 2013. Print.
Flanigan, Robin L. Bad Online Behavior Jeopardizes Students’ College Plans. Web.
Jenkins, Richard. Social Identity. London, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2014. Print.
Paul, Jomon Aliyas, Hope M. Baker, and Justin Daniel Cochran. “Effect of Online Social Networking on Student Academic Performance.” Computers in Human Behavior 28.6 (2012): 2117-2127.
Zheng, Robert, Jason J. Burrow-Sanchez, and Clifford J. Drew. Adolescent Online Social Communication and Behavior. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2010. Print.