Blog Post #2

So far, while reading the book, Social Media Wellness: Helping Tweens and Teens Thrive in an Unbalanced Digital World by Ana Homayoun, I have noticed a lot of relatable and knowledgeable information. To begin, the author is a very interesting individual and so far I've recognized that she has done a vast amount of presentations for ranging age groups regarding social media issues. I am eager to continue reading the book to learn more about her studies and experiences because she strikes me as a very fascinating person. Also, something that caught my attention at the beginning of the book was when Homayoun mentioned her initial experience with a sixth-grade female student. This young girl had attended one of Homayoun's presentations, where she gained a lot of positive feedback. Homayoun words during her presentation actually persuaded the young girl to go home and delete a social media account called Askfm. and motivated her to become more aware of her responsibilities. 

Another aspect of Homayoun's book that caught my attention was how relatable and modern it was. I enjoy reading texts with these characteristics because I appreciate learning about prevailing problems that are currently affecting me, my peers, and one day my students. For example, Homayoun examines social media platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, etc, and the statistics about them draws my attention because they are all forms of social media I am familiar with. For Homayoun to address her studies accurately, she took the time to understand the abbreviations of the language of texting and how to post Snapchats. She realized this was an advantage because she could now correctly relate to the students on a better level making them more willing to listen to her presentations.

On the other hand, the film, The Laramie Project, made me think differently from how I did before about aspects of Prejudice and Bias. The first memorable point in the movie that changed my previous thoughts on this topic was the in-depth description of how greatly Mathew Shepard was beaten and tortured for being gay. The two victims, Russel and Aaron, beat Mathew so harshly that he was left hanging to a fence and was unrecognizable to the officer, Reggie Fluty in Laramie, Wyoming. The idea was utterly disturbing that the victims were so homophobic that they beat Shepard so harshly that he died all because the victims were different than him. 

Another memorable point from the film that changed my prior thoughts to this topic was how this inhumane act caused a life-threatening issue for the officer who found Mathew. Reggie Fluty was at the scene where Shepard was left hanging to the fence, and she got his blood on hands with open cuts. She soon found out that Shepard was HIV positive and that she was exposed to the AIDS virus. This information was troubling to hear as I was watching the film because this officer was the one who found Mathew and was there to attempt and save his life by getting him immediate medical help. 

The idea of how crucial the victims were towards Mathew and how this act didn't only affect one person but affected many others definitely makes me think differently from how I did before. From this film, I've gained the knowledge that just because you see someone as different doesn't mean that you should have a problem with them. Going as far as physically or verbally neglecting and murdering someone should never be an option because it is inhumane and doesn't only affect them but affects many others as well.

References:

Homayoun, A. (2018). Social media wellness: Helping tweens and teens thrive in an unbalanced digital world. Thousand Oaks, CA, CA: Corwin, a Sage Company.

Kaufman, M. (Director). (2002). The Laramie Project [Motion picture on Film]. United States: Home Box Office.

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