Blog

Respect and the Internet – by Lynda Laushway

June 17, 2014

The days when etiquette encompassed topics such as who should open a door for who and how to set a table correctly, definitely predated the internet and social media.  We live in a whole new world now where communication is instantaneous and anonymous. When we communicate we are easily disguised. Not that we didn’t have ‘poison pen letters’ and other ways to defame people back then- it just didn’t happen at the speed and intensity that the internet has provided.  It also was generally less public, without thousands of viewers around the world ready to become voyeurs into public campaigns to humiliate and degrade someone and perhaps ‘jump on board’ while allowing the instigator to escape detection- and all of it with the click of a button.

It is the Wild West in cyberspace with no rules and no etiquette to guide us. In ‘the privacy of our own home’ the world of cyberspace can be one of disguise and deceit.    Here at SWOVA we have been mulling over this issue and asking ourselves’ “What does respect look like on the internet?” Supported by the Salt Spring Island Foundation and potentially the Canadian women’s Foundation, we will be developing new curriculum that addresses respect on the internet and how to support youth to stay safe and remain respectful in their relationships through this technology.

Some of the internet etiquette and safety that we will explore is:

  • Is it okay to end a relationship by e-mail or text?
  • How does respect relate to internet pornography and how does it affect our personal relationships?
  •  How does the respect that we show each other in our day-to-day relationships translate into the online world?
  • If miscommunication is happening online, when do we decide that we need to talk in person?

stock-footage-young-man-in-front-of-computer-screen-dark-night-roomYouth have an important role to play in setting the guidelines that will help us all to know how to translate respectful behaviour into cyberspace.  There are a myriad of questions that need to be asked and we are beginning this important dialogue.

 

by Lynda Laushway – Executive Director, SWOVA

 

SWOVA New LOGO withTAG black

Are you Adopted?

Are you Adopted?

Identity is a topic that is regularly talked about in our programs. Sophia Coopman, who has a Jamaican mom and a dad with European roots, wrote a blog about it. Sophia didn’t inherit the brown skin of her mom, which triggers total strangers to ask her if she’s...

Best Books to Read for International Women’s Day

Best Books to Read for International Women’s Day

Leading up to International Women’s Day, we asked Sophia vom Bauer Jackson, service manager at the Salt Spring Island Public Library, to make a list of contemporary female-focused books. This is her Top 5 (fiction and non-fiction) plus some extra recommendations (all...

Healthy Risk Taking is about Growing and Developing

Healthy Risk Taking is about Growing and Developing

Teenagers crave and seek risks. It helps them to develop and grow. We often think of risk-taking as dangerous, but risk-taking is not always negative. Healthy risk-taking – like hiking up a mountain, riding a unicycle, or performing on stage – helps kids build...

Name(Required)
Email(Required)
Please let us know what's on your mind. Have a question for us? Ask away.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.