While I was reading some news on cnn.com, I came across an interesting news article about facebook and free speech issue. The article deals with social networking sites and the issues behind them.
Nowadays, number one social networking sites are facebook and twitter. I am always on facebook whenever I am sitting in front of my computer, but I never had the chance to learn or try twitter until few days ago. I am still in process of learning about twitter, but so far, I think it's a great way of getting information about basically "everything."
Anyway, the news article I read today talks about how Katherine Evans, now 19 and attending college, was suspended in 2007 from Pembroke Pines Charter High School after she used her home computer to create a facebook page and wrote, "Ms. Sarah Phelps is the worst teacher I've ever met." There were a lot of opinions and issues about this but in the end they concluded that Katherine had a constitutional right to express her views on facebook because what she wrote was an opinion about a teacher. She wasn't threatening or advocating illegal or dangerous behaviors.
When I read this article, I got to think about personal opinions, privacy, and laws/rules about networking sites. People are able to express their thoughts and opinions wherever and whenever they want. Facebook and personal blogs are especially the place to express their personal opinions and gossip about someone or certain things. But is there a limit? Are we suppose to carefully edit our thoughts and opinions before we post something online?
Although Katherine did not do anything wrong by law, did she cross the line by showing no respect towards her teacher by posting negative comments about her? Is respect important and necessary in the online world?
There are so many questions going through my head, and I am not really sure what is the right or wrong. I guess there is no answer at all, it all depends on how you word them.
Social networking sites are helpful and fun, and that is why 36% of all American adults use facebook today. But I think it is important to know and learn that expressing hatred or being sexist, and racist on the online world is something you would want to think twice about.
It is so easy to hurt other people's feeling and so easy to deceive others online, and that is why the online world can be dangerous.
I know most of us are probably aware of these issues, but I just wanted to give you guys a little more information and stories that are out there today.
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