Defensive Driving: Staying Safe in the Digital World

Hand writing with a pen
JournalHave you ever wished you could rewrite history? For this application, you will imagine that you have the power to do this for someone else. Take a moment to read the scenarios below, and then select the one that you connect to most.

Scenario One

Nick felt on top of the world because of his new relationship with Tonya. Hoping to impress her, Nick decided to text Tonya some very personal and inappropriate pictures of him. Tonya did not know how to react to his text. She decided to show Nick’s text to her friends who were sitting with her when she opened the text. One of Tonya’s friends snatched the phone out of Tonya’s hand, quickly forwarded the image to herself, and started to share it with her contact list. Nick was mortified because within minutes everyone he knew had his inappropriate picture.

Scenario Two

Angela has been exhausted lately, and her parents cannot seem to figure out why. The truth is that she has not been able to sleep, her anxiety level is through the roof, and she is feeling depressed. It all started last week when Angela signed into her social media account. At first, she received a message that she ignored. She did not know who it came from, but it detailed how her new haircut made her look like a shaggy dog. The next day, images of the "ugliest dogs in America" labeled with her name were sent to her email account over the span of hours. Similar insults have been rolling in daily, and at all hours of the night. The one friend Angela told said to ignore everything, but the attacks are getting worse and more personal. Angela worries this cyberbully may know where she lives.

In your journal, compose two paragraphs that are five to seven sentences each. The first paragraph should detail why you think Nick or Angela chose to act in the way described and what effect it had on them. The second paragraph should detail the different decisions you would have Nick or Angela make if you had the power to rewrite history. How might the outcome have changed? Keeping this situation in mind, what type of online behavior will you exemplify in the future?

If you need assistance writing a journal entry, please visit the Developmental Module for more information.

AssignmentOnce you have completed your journal entry, please save it with the file name of mod9_rewrite and submit it to the journal dropbox.