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Fraser Mcintosh Post 1

3 January 2021, 1:49 PM

Thoughts on Cheney

Do you identify with Cheney's concerns about offering up your students work to public scrutiny?

Unfortunately I do.  Having been the victim of trolling which was harassment to a very real degree over something a simple as a hobby.  I have become very careful about whatever I place online.  Much less academic work which must be ethically scrutinised and may touch upon emotive subjects that encourage aggressive responses such as the war on drugs.

What level of public might you choose?  Would you be happy for your students to share their work with others in their class?  With others in the college?  With the general public? 

I may choose a poster due to it being personally safer in the arena of anonymity.  As I would still monitor anything produced under a pseudonym for response and the experience with harassment by trolls is not something I would care to experience again.  As for being happy with students sharing their work.  I would have to explain the real risks and make them aware of the level of academic rigour that would have to be applied to go public with an academic topic.  Also, I would ask them to consider ethical ramifications.

Could this activity open up opportunities for discussion about digital literacy, digital identity and digital safety?

I believe it could as identity performed in anonymity is often different from life identity creating discussions of the performativity of identity.  In addition, the mental health damage done by cyberbullying and trolling is noteworthy in the media so digital safety becomes a discussion when producing public work.  Finally digital literacy can be discussed as there are more options for taking work public than the internet and in the environment of the public, the student has the right to pick the option that is best for them and their mental wellbeing.