The internet is not private
Image source: Dall-e
It is funny but in today's world people sit at their computer in the privacy of their home and post whatever they want. Somehow they think clicking "post" wont' have consequences. The problem is that once something is posted on the internet there is no guarantee that it won't become public knowledge.
That is especially true on Hive. There is no delete button and when gets posted on the blockchain stays there until the end of Hive. No take back, no delete.
Which is why I think before I write. Does my argument make sense? Am I being insensitive? Am I being controversial? Would my words harm someone? Could this blow back on me? All legitimate issues and it is even harder these days because times are changing. I may say something that makes perfect sense in today's world but things could be very different in a decade...or five.
Simply look at movies from decades prior. Or perhaps just look at children's cartoons on Disney from the 1950s and 1960s. They now put a warning label on them which more or less states "These movies were written for a different time and may not be suitable for today's values".
In the public eye
Some people have more to consider than others. In Canada our previous Prime Minister got into trouble over photo's taken of him with friends at a Halloween party decades before he became the leader of the country. However, those images came back to haunt him and cause a lot of political fallout.
I have another friend who was head of an English department and Drama department at a very prestigious school in his country. He really wanted to work on TV shows (as he did before he became a teacher) and wanted to do standup comedy. However, he was told not to. One bad joke? One bad role? Then the school would be getting phone calls from concerned parents and everyone's job would be in jeopardy.
Which of course leads to the question "Why should my job determine my Freedom"? Why could my friend not follow his dream of standup comedy because he was a teacher? Why does he have to be extra careful on what he posts online? The quick answer is simple: His actions reflect on more than himself. It reflects on the school, on the students, on his fellow teachers. The rights of one person are curtailed because every other person working in that school also has rights.
Freedom is a great idea but it is a balancing act more often than not.
The Hive Learners Prompt
The Hive learners community asked if schools should be allowed to access students and teachers social media accounts. Tough call but my thought is leaning towards, Yes, they should.
Of course I want privacy. Of course I want my personal information to remain personal. However, I also know that in today's world private often becomes public. If a teacher really wants to have a private account? Well, that's where they decide if they want to follow the rules or hide from them. Make a public facing social media to show the school and a hidden profile for their private interactions? I'm not going to think too hard about it but I will still stand behind my thought that schools should be able to see what the students and teachers are doing.
Rationale
Teachers choose to be part of a school. They choose to be part of a team looking after children. They choose to train up the next generation. Parents trust those teachers with their most important possession -- their children. Open the social media to show that you are the type of person that can be trusted with children.
Students? They are wards of the school, or at the very least the school has a duty to help them learn. The school is responsible for training the students and guiding them for their future. By seeing their social media they can have a glimpse at what is important to the students and what activities they are involved in. A well informed school can better train the students. In addition, well informed teachers and staff can be better able to find students who are struggling for any number of different issues.
My personal thought?
Rather than complaining about "my right to Freedom" or "my right to be who I want to be" I think somewhat more practically.
As I said in the beginning:
Post as if everyone was going to see it.
My employer. My spouse. My children. The government. Everyone
Then if I'm ever asked by an employer, school, or anyone else to get access to my social media? No problem. Done. I have nothing to hide.
If I ever DO have something to hide? The internet is absolutely the wrong place to be posting or mentioning it. There are better times and places.
Of course that is just my personal opinion and I would love to get other opinions. However, comment or not, thank you for reading the article. I always appreciate eyes on my posts :)