Life in Western Civilization was relatively simple prior to the printing press. If the king said it or the church said it, then that was it – no questions asked.
After Gutenberg’s printing press, Western Civilization had itself a few political revolutions, a significant religious reformation, and a more complex society. That’s the consequence of an increased ability to share ideas.
Today, it’s as if every individual has their own printing press with an unlimited supply of ink with which they can share ideas, encourage others, and/or attack others with their words.
Those who understand the lessons of history and human nature can see the world of possibilities before us and are working to prepare both themselves and the next generation to use these new communications tools well.
Those who don’t grasp history, those who find themselves in a position of power and simply want to hold on to that power (government officials, corporate leaders, school boards, dictators, etc.) are busy trying to figure out how to stop those under their authority from using these tools effectively.
Whether we’re talking about the Capital School District, the city of Dover, Kent County, or the former Egyptian government, the reality that must be faced is that even if you could “shut down” the Internet, the Genie of Communication is already out of the bottle and you cannot go back to the way things used to be, you have to let go of your illusion of power.
While the attempts to control what is said online may have pure motives – like preventing cyberbullying or stopping negative comments about your own power structure of choice – the fact is these school districts, local governments, and corporate decision-makers are failing to address real issues while failing to offer an enforceable policy, pretty much a double failure.
Let’s try another approach.
Rather than attempts at ironfisted and ham-handed tyranny – which sends the message to the cyberbully that your kind of bullying is OK, but theirs isn’t – imagine working with the offender in a transparent and meaningful way.
Rather than disallowing students to access social media sites in the classroom, why not demonstrate appropriate communication skills online and guide them into developing an online presence that can lead to a better future for them and for society.
Let’s see what that approach looks like.
Gary Phillips is the Digital Media Instructor at DelCastle Technical High School. This year, he’s received approval to get his students active and engaged on social media sites like Twitter during class time. Every day students post their goals, interact with the community at large, and even find potential clients, customers, and employers.
Are there guidelines and policies in place? Yes, there are.
Does this approach take a little more time, effort, and follow through? Yes, it does.
Would I rather work with the students who have gone through this kind of training than students who have been told by an ignorant bureaucracy that they shouldn’t engage fully online? Yes, give me students that have demonstrated their online abilities any day.
By attempting to put in place policies that not only violate the First Amendment, but also fail to recognize the scope and power of the human spirit and these ubiquitous communications tools, the Capital School Board demonstrates that it does not grasp where we are in history or where we are going. The Board may as well draft policies stating that students can’t sing, or grow, or go through puberty.
If, however, the Capital School Board and other organizations were to set up reasonable best practices, encourage open and transparent communication, and deal with issues of defamation, insults, and cyberbullying as the personal issues they are (as opposed to seeing them as technology issues), then we can see a more reasonable movement towards the future that probably won’t require violent revolutions.
But make no mistake, just as the printing press led to significant changes in power structures these new communication tools will lead to even more significant changes in power. The only choice the current powers-that-be have before them is whether they work with the transition or against it.
Ken Grant is a member of the Delaware Social Media Club and has been called the “Godfather of Social Media” in Delaware – speaking to numerous groups about effective use of social media. He is currently the Sales and Marketing Director for the only U.S. based manufacturer of Thin Layer Chromatography Plates. He was Communications Director for the Republican State Committee of Delaware from 2001 to 2006. He and his wife live in Newark, Delaware with their two children.