The use of kindness as a conscious, very effective grassroots solution to bullying is picking up steam. Where youth are concerned, sometimes the kindness is purely their idea, such as the kind intervention of two high school upperclassmen that sparked Canada's Pink Shirt Day and students' anti-bullying countermeasures in Iowa in 2012. Other times the impetus comes from teachers and school … [Read more...] about Kindness really could be going viral! Just look…
Ethics & Etiquette
The anti-EDIs social norm: A counterargument
They're more like DEDIs (digitally enabled displays of insensitivity) than EDIs (electronic displays of insensitivity), because the behavior is human not electronic. But that's beside the point. This NPR commentary suggests that EDIs are becoming a social norm. It cites an unscientific survey of 2,000 newsletter subscribers as finding that this insensitive behavior – people checking their phones … [Read more...] about The anti-EDIs social norm: A counterargument
The why of the Facebook research fracas & what it calls for
Wondering about the "Facebook Emotional Manipulation Study" so much in the news these past few days? If so, you're not alone. What's causing this firestorm? Consumer research is nothing new, and we all know academic research certainly isn't. There are some aspects of this that are very different, however, and so cause a great deal of uneasiness if not outrage. What's different here are… The … [Read more...] about The why of the Facebook research fracas & what it calls for
Balancing external with internal Internet safety ‘tools’
In preparation for a new year, some thoughts on the promise and protective properties of compassion and resilience for our children (and all of us)... In the US and probably many other countries, the Internet safety discussion has focused largely on external safeguards: filtering, monitoring and other parental control tools, household and school rules, state and federal laws. Those can be … [Read more...] about Balancing external with internal Internet safety ‘tools’
‘Fabulousness’ & self-presentation in social media
Here's a conversation about social media that would be good to have with our kids. You could headline it "Instagram envy"; the New York Times dramatically headlined it "The Agony of Instagram" (oh, brother). That the article appeared in this week's Sunday Styles section I guess confirms that it's fashionable, at least for newspapers, to be dramatic about social media. "For many urban creative … [Read more...] about ‘Fabulousness’ & self-presentation in social media