Social media has a huge role in distributing news and information at lightning speed. For many people, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms can be their main source of news. This can be problematic, since not all information shared on social media sites is verified or trustworthy. Fraustino et al. (2012) cites some common reasons on why people use social media in times of crisis, which are for example: for convenience, to seek unfiltered and timely information on the incident and its magnitude, because of social norms or to check with family and friends. Why people might not use social media can be, for example, concerns for privacy, security and accuracy or because of access issues. In addition to media criticism, students should also be instructed on how to act responsibly during and after an incident. In this section, some pros and cons of social media during crisis events are discussed further.
The younger generation is used to receiving information immediately. Owning a smartphone basically gives you an almost unlimited access to everything that is happening around the world, both in good and in bad. Hammarlund (2001: 58) states that today’s people receive more information in a week that some people used to receive in their lifetime – though he does emphasize the difference between information and knowledge. Not nearly all the information that circulates after an incident is factual. Young students might not realize this, so for instance
media criticism, critical reading skills and persuasion strategies are very important skills to teach. Helping the students to find trustworthy sources for news and to be critical of social media is vital in modern education. Giving examples of fake news sites, comparing them to credible ones, and explaining and practicing on how to spot some indicators of possible unreliability, such as not citing any sources or giving inaccurate information, could be an example of teaching such an issue.
Dreyfuss (2017) discusses the fact that by publishing or sharing photos, videos and other information, you are also spreading the fear and horror. This is exactly what the terrorists want.
They need social media to spread their message, and often people do just that without even realizing it. The police often have to remind people not to take photos on scenes of accidents, since they can also be very damaging and even traumatizing to the families and friends of the possible victims. Hammarlund (2001: 58) also states that when something bad and unexpected happens, the people of today immediately want to find a scapegoat, someone to blame and someone that could have supposedly prevent it from happening. This has led to people and media publishing photos of alleged perpetrators of attacks without any confirmation from authoritative sources. For example, after the Boston marathon bombing in April 2013 many pictures were released by social media users of different people, for instance on Reddit, claiming they were somehow involved in the attack. New York Post, for instance, also published incorrect information on the victims and perpetrators (Killoran 2013).
During crises, social media is often quoted in mass media as a source for information (Klausen 2015). This is naturally very risky, since there is no particularly quick way to find out the source’s credibility and reliability. This may also lead to circular reporting, where a publication quotes an unverified source and then another publication quotes the first one as a credible source, and so after a few cross-references the original source might get lost in the process.
Social media users can provide a lot of first-hand information if they have been present during the incident. This can leave a lot of room for misunderstandings and exaggeration. During crises people may act irrationally, so they might publish something without considering it further, such as a photo of a “suspicious person” that can then begin to circulate around the internet.
This sort of misinformation might also make police investigations more difficult (Dreyfuss 2017). Young people might be especially prone to this sort of behavior, since they are often used to using social media as a way to convey and receive information. Nowadays most people
carry their phones with them, and when something happens, one of people’s first reactions is to take out their phone.
Social media can also prove to be very useful in a positive way for spreading information quickly. One example could be Facebook’s Safety Check feature, where Facebook asks you if you are safe during an incident, for example an earthquake, a building collapse or a mass shooting, if you are around that area. Some of your Facebook friends will then receive a notification that you are safe and that is also visible on your Facebook wall according to Facebook’s Help Centre. Even though the feature might be very helpful on informing one’s family and friends that they are safe, what if someone is not? According to Fraustino et al.
(2012), a study made by American Red Cross found that 75% expected help to arrive in an hour if they posted about their distress on social media, for example in a violent incident. This means that instead of calling for help themselves, they essentially wait for someone else to do it instead. This again highlights the importance of teaching how to use social media responsibly.
2 FORMS OF VIOLENCE
In this chapter, different forms of violence are explored and why being aware of them is important for teachers. Violence is universal and often unpredictable, sudden and shocking.
Every teacher may encounter a situation or an incident they need to handle with their students.
Violence has many forms, and in this chapter terrorism, extremism and violent extremism are discussed the most, in addition to other forms of violence, such as domestic violence, school shootings, and sexual violence. I have chosen these since they are often on the news and make the headlines, which may lead to students being curious about them and wanting to know more.
For a teacher, factual knowledge and being aware of the underlying context of violent events is important. In addition, the context and reasoning behind a violent event is also often what the students want to know more about.