4.3 How does it make you feel?
‘Just use your head, don’t be rash about it, think it through’.
Questioning and evaluating are powerful skills. You can use these skills to check how trustworthy the information you hear or see is, and to reveal some of the hidden influences that you are exposed to everyday. You can also use these skills to help you change how you relate to others on social media.
Tips: Stop, check, think before you act
Before you act, stop and ask yourself some simple questions:
- Have you checked the information is correct?
- Think – How does this information make you feel?
- Are you acting with your heart, or with your head?
- What are the consequences of taking this action for others and for you?
- Will your actions help to solve the problem at stake?
These tips are adapted from the Fact NI toolkit [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
Activity 12: What would you do?
a.
Respond straight away, for example by taking to the streets with your mates; or by sending angry or hateful messages.
b.
Stop, check, and think before you act.
c.
Share the message with all your networks so everyone knows the news and what’s happening on the streets.
The correct answer is b.
In the next session you will explore ways to come up with alternative possibilities, to help you decide what to do in the situations you face.
Activity 13: Time to reflect
Before you finish this session, think again about how you make decisions in difficult situations. What have you learned and what would do differently now that you developed these new skills?