“Confessions of a Uni Student” – Cyber Bullying and how the virtual has become a reality…….

Mail in your “most embarrassing, disgusting, humiliating, dirtiest, silliest confessions” to be posted anonymously so that “everyone can have a laugh.”


Student leaders and authorities at NUI Galway have lashed out at a new Facebook phenomenon where anonymous postings on a web page – purporting to be from students at the college – boast of heavy drinking sessions and sexual exploits...including rape.

Confessions of a Uni Student has already attracted more than 120,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook, with sub-pages for each of the main colleges around the country also drawing thousands of visitors.
The pages contain sexual and explicit content, referring to and often glorifying rape and sexism as well as alcohol abuse and anti-social behaviour.

The administrator of the social networking page urges students to mail in their ‘most embarrassing, disgusting, humiliating, dirtiest, silliest confessions’ to be posted anonymously on the Facebook wall so that ‘everyone can have a laugh’.

College authorities were quick to condemn the social media trend, warning students of the consequences of damaging the University’s reputation.

“NUI Galway implements a Code of Conduct which applies to all students attending the University. Students are regularly reminded of the importance of adhering to this code.

“The University would expect all students to behave responsibly and to respect the University’s reputation, and more importantly their own welfare in all circumstances including their use of social media,” said a spokesperson last week.

And that official stance was echoed by the Vice President and Education Officer of NUI Galway Students’ Union Conor Stitt, who said: “Not only does [this page] have a cringe-worthy sense of humour, but [it] trivializes anti-social behaviour and sexism to a huge degree.”

The webpage has also been condemned by authorities and student leaders at UCC and the University of Limerick this week – but the blog is still attracting new followers in drove.

“Everyone can have a laugh.”

Though the original ‘Confessions of a Uni Student’ page has a disclaimer stating that the page is in no way affiliated with any college and that any offensive content will be removed on request, there are numerous explicit ‘confessions’ on the sub-pages.

The emergence of social media pages like these further emphasises the growing danger of such comments on social networking sites and highlights a trend of public naivety in endorsing such sites.

Ask.fm is one social network site that is making the virtual not only a reality but a living hell for some teenagers who are subjected to cyber bullying through the website.

Ireland has been rocked by the death of another Irish teenager who endured online bullying as an active member of the controversial Ask.fm. Erin Gallagher 13 was found dead at her family home this weekend. Erin took her own life just hours after posting messages on the social networking site saying she was being bullied. She then revealed on the website ask.fm how she was going to take her own life

The death of 15 year old Leitrim schoolgirl Ciara Pugsley is another such high profile case; Ciara experienced extreme bullying through the anonymous site, ask.fm, in the months leading to her suicide.

Ask.fm is a website that allows people to ask questions anonymously – but it is often used as a platform for bullying and, as in the case of the Leitrim teenager, can clearly have a serious result on mental health and cause emotional stress for the victim.

We talk about the safety of children, the upcoming Children’s Referendum is set to place the child at the heart of the constitution if passed on November 10^th but how do we protect the vulnerable from what can become 24/7 torture . How do we stop the virtual bullying becoming a reality?

 Ryan Tubriby recently described social networking as “A personal soap Opera 24/7”. He was right. Social networking has become much more than a means of communication, it has become about vanity, self-obsession and the need to impress others. We are all guilty of this, no matter how much we pretend this is not true to our own lives.

This self-obsessed vanity that social networking has created is what is shaping the minds of our teenagers. As a teenager, I didn’t have a means of social networking; it didn’t exist outside of text messages.

 Bullying still existed but not to the extent it does today. It could be left in the playground; but now it follows us home, it appears when we open the laptop and we cannot blame our most vulnerable. 

Our teenage years as we all can remember are the most influential; we all want and wanted to fit it. It’s natural, but what is not natural is that children are being driven to such extreme measures as suicide to escape pain that will in time heal.

 The youth of today need to realize it gets better. The pain and anguish you may be experiencing right now because of a bully, an online tormentor it will go away. 

There are people who care, people who want to help. It’s not easy but it takes a little courage to stand up but believe in you and believe that it gets better.

It’s time to stand up and stop the powers social networking has created, Ask.fm and “Confessions of a Uni Student” while harmless to one person, perhaps not to another. Posting comments so “everyone can have a laugh” is one thing but what about Amanda Todd, Ciara Pugsley, Phoebe Prince, and now Erin Gallagher.

They didn’t find it funny, infact these young girls didn’t find it funny at all. They are all now dead and I urge you if you are reading this and know someone who is being bullied to stand up for them and let them be heard.

Helplines are available Childline 1800 666656 and Teen Ireland 1800 833634.

"Confessions" Social Networking and the increased link to cyberbullying

 

 

 

Student leaders and authorities at NUI Galway have lashed out at a new Facebook phenomenon where anonymous postings on a web page – purporting to be from students at the college – boast of heavy drinking sessions and sexual exploits...including rape.

Confessions of a Uni Student has already attracted more than 120,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook, with sub-pages for each of the main colleges around the country also drawing thousands of visitors.

The pages contain sexual and explicit content, referring to and often glorifying rape and sexism as well as alcohol abuse and anti-social behaviour.

The administrator of the social networking page urges students to mail in their ‘most embarrassing, disgusting, humiliating, dirtiest, silliest confessions’ to be posted anonymously on the Facebook wall so that ‘everyone can have a laugh’.

College authorities were quick to condemn the social media trend, warning students of the consequences of damaging the University’s reputation.

“NUI Galway implements a Code of Conduct which applies to all students attending the University. Students are regularly reminded of the importance of adhering to this code.

“The University would expect all students to behave responsibly and to respect the University’s reputation, and more importantly their own welfare in all circumstances including their use of social media,” said a spokesperson last week.

And that official stance was echoed by the Vice President and Education Officer of NUI Galway Students’ Union Conor Stitt, who said: “Not only does [this page] have a cringe-worthy sense of humour, but [it] trivializes anti-social behaviour and sexism to a huge degree.”

The webpage has also been condemned by authorities and student leaders at UCC and the University of Limerick this week – but the blog is still attracting new followers in drove.

Though the original ‘Confessions of a Uni Student’ page has a disclaimer stating that the page is in no way affiliated with any college and that any offensive content will be removed on request, there are numerous explicit ‘confessions’ on the sub-pages.

The emergence of social media pages like these further emphasises the growing danger of such comments on social networking sites and highlights a trend of public naivety in endorsing such sites.

The death of 15 year old Leitrim schoolgirl Ciara Pugsley is one such high profile case; Ciara experienced extreme bullying through the anonymous site, ask.fm, in the months leading to her suicide.

Ask.fm is a website that allows people to ask questions anonymously – but it is often used as a platform for bullying and, as in the case of the Leitrim teenager, can clearly have a serious result on mental health and cause emotional stress for the victim.

“The Genie is out of the bottle” Why we all want to be heard

The 14^th annual Cleraun Media Conference took place this weekend in Dublin and this young reporter learned a valuable life lesson that journalists will never be above the law.

“Your integrity triumphs everything” says Dearbhaíl McDonald Legal Editor of The Irish Independent “Retaining integrity in the pursuit of what we do”. These are wise words from a much respected character in the diaspora of Irish journalism.

In an age where social media seems to be triumphing traditional media, the notion of integrity within journalism was raised by Dearbhaíl McDonald at the Professional Integrity and Ethics Journalism Conference.

It led to the questioning of my own notion of integrity. As I sat listening to much respected faces in Irish journalism, I began to question how far I would be willing to go to get the “scoop”. Sitting in a room with respected senior journalists who possess a certain aura of stage presence is a life lesson in itself to observe their natural flare for an impromptu Q and A session.

Integrity, ethics, and consent: just three of the words that floated around a room; a room filled with different notions of what journalistic integrity should or should not be.

“Our consent is never consciously sought” says Alan Gilsenan, speaking in relation to his own findings as a documentary maker. ‘A time to die’ has been the latest offering from Mr Gilsenan documentary work.

He spoke poignantly and honestly about his work on ‘The Asylum’ and where his sense of integrity came into question. The character of George was illustrated to the enthralled audience, as Alan spoke.

“We all want to be heard” says Alan and through his yearlong work with patients suffering from mental illness in Ireland, Alan felt his work was given a voice to those who for years had been marginalised on the periphery of Irish society because mental illness was seen as taboo.

‘George’ was one such man who featured and one Alan Gilsenan clearly built a personal connection with, after all he was one of the stars of the documentary. In building a relationship it’s not about the “pre nup”; the pet name Alan placed on release forms for creating such documentaries. Instead it’s about letting people tell their stories.

Alan faced one of the most challenging aspects as a journalist, a documentary maker, but most of all as a person. George decided he did not want to be featured in ‘The Asylum’ after a year of building this relationship it now hung in the balance.

The tragedy in this tale is that George passed away days before the documentary went to air, and there was the opportunity for ‘Georges’ life to be remembered on camera and a long lost relative wanted to sign a release form that went against a wish George had outlined before his death.

“Retaining integrity in the pursuit of what we do” echoes in my head at this point and I wonder what would I have done in this instance?

Alan Gilsenan retained his professional and personal integrity by leaving George out of the documentary and respecting the dying wishes of a man who was not just a character anymore but instead a friend.

Through time we create a trust with people, can the same be said about integrity? The emergence of Social media leads me to wonder has the traditional sense of integrity been outdated much the same as in how traditional media appears to becoming outdated?

“The Levinson enquiry will shape the future” says Séamus Dooley NUJ. He described it like a production of Downtown Abbey. Hugh Linehan raised the question of why it all came to the forum now.

Ombudsman Emily O’ Reilly made probably the most valid point describing the fall-out from the phone-hacking scandal involving the murder of Millie Dowler as one of the greatest personal tragedies that struck real people.

Millie was a child, a daughter and a sister. This is something that relates to everyone. It wasn’t about seeing the invasion of privacy of a celebrity; it was about a child who was murdered.  That is reality.

This is one of the greatest losses of integrity in the industry, we as journalists strive to maintain. “There are times gross invasions of privacy are needed” said Dearbhaíl McDonald. She spoke in relation to the Lee’s Cross scandal which she believes was “Manifestly in the public interest”

Sunday World columnist Paddy Murray was different than what I had expected, a warm and witty man, he entertained the room for a few moments in a break from the hard stuff but offered up something that is so important in this career; common cutesy and politeness.

There is not just one problem or one solution to already existing issues in Journalism, a common consensus from many leading Irish Journalists.

“The Gennie is out of the bottle” said Mark Tight, Social media is upon us, The Children’s referendum is approaching, and soon media regulation will change journalistic dynamics. Integrity if lost early in one’s career and even lost in one’s life, is not easily regained. We all want to be heard, but at what cost. Do we sacrifice our integrity; think from the heart instead of the head. Decisions every journalist must make for themselves.

“Kissing the Ring” – Reverence, Bureaucracy and the Rights of Children.

“Kissing the Ring” – Reverence, Bureaucracy and the Rights of Children.

Mr Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive at Barnardos Children’s Charity talks candidly about ‘disability’ ‘children’s rights’ and ‘redefining the family’

The man behind Barnardos, the grey suit, and the beard, who is he? The child who is taken into care because their parents are proven to be unfit to care for them, who is this child? The person who is discriminated for having a disability, who are they?

All of these questions deserve an answer, but sometimes when trying to describe a person or situation certain aspects need a little more time and perhaps as some would say a re-evaluation.

 The man behind Barnardos children’s charity is Mr Fergus Finlay Chief Executive, the child taken into care and the person discriminated against because of a disability; are the people Mr Finlay fights for.

“A reluctant disability activist for over 40 years” says Mr Finlay but not for reasons one would think instead because “My Mrs and I had a daughter Mandy, born with Down syndrome” and from that moment disability enter your house, you have to fight to not let your house be turned into a second class citizen household. The fight against prejudice begins.

Speaking openly and honestly the man behind the grey suit and the beard is very much a family man. Opening up to his own personal family history with disability was a touching sentiment to the work he does with other families. The reasons why the Chief Executive of Barnardos has been a reluctant activist is that it is his strongest belief that “We are always happy to put money in a tin but not to fight for basic rights”

A campaigner, a father and now a grandfather, Mr Finlay talked of “The most shaming thing he has ever done” and this shaming act I hear you ask, what is it? It is an aspect of parenthood that challenges the majority of parents in Ireland and this is the age old question, Should you smack your child?

A believer in honesty, Mr Finlay owned up to his own misgivings for having once smacking one of his children. What captivated me was that he asked his child to forgive him years later. This gives great faith in the character of Mr Finlay and an air of honestly that many parents would now be scared or afraid to admitting smacking their child.

Witty humour and a genuine presence of integrity filled the room; Mr Finlay discussed The Lafoy report, institutional abuse, and Baltimore. This raised the greatest question from this talk, and this is a fact that has been reitered again and again. What is it? It is the reverence that Catholic Ireland created for itself, until children, now adults began to tell of their abuse.

“Children were sent to these institutions by judges in a court who signed the order to take them away from their parents” says Fergus Finlay. The reason that the Children’s Referendum will take place in Ireland on November 10^th is because; abuse victims from institutions such as Baltimore had no representation. Instead they were sent to a childhood of abuse, a stolen childhood.

Reverence for the laity, was the moral grounding for Catholic Ireland but what did this reverence teach us. It thought us that the children of Ireland who were abused and had their childhoods stolen were betrayed, betrayed by the system, betrayed by those in power.

The referendum which takes place in Ireland next month has five main purposes. They include aspects of childhood that for years have been ignored in Ireland. They include the voice, protection, best interest, and equality and adoption legislation regarding the child.

“Putting our kids at the heart of the constitution” says Fergus Finlay is what will prevent the mistakes that happened a previous generation of Irish children.

The notion of “kissing the ring” is what led me to question the Barnardos Executive on comments made on the family and the fact that two parents are proven to be better than one. Catholic Ireland condoned homosexuality and the notion of gay parenting was unheard of. The question raised was whether gay parenting should come to the forum now too, because just as people with disability were treated as second class citizens so too were the homosexual population of Ireland.

This referendum is about the rights and best interests of children, and it is my strong belief that children in care would be better would be better off in a loving environment, whether this be a heterosexual or homosexual family. Children are now going to have the right to a choice, a choice which should include having same sex parents.

We are no longer the Ireland that has to bow to the constraints of the powers of the Catholic Church. They had their chance and they messed it up. November 10^th  2012 will see the redefining of the rights and best interests of Irish children, but what we were led to believe by the Catholic Church was right, was so gravely wrong. Generations of Irish citizens “kissed the ring” of the Catholic Church and what was happening behind closed doors, vast amounts of neglect, torture, and emotional pain.

The man behind one of Ireland’s leading charities is the person that Ireland should be lining up to “kiss the ring” just as the structure of the family will be redefined on November 10^th by giving the power back to our children. My faith in a new age reverence grew intensely today sitting in the presence of Fergus Finlay.

A Family man, a worldly man, it makes for a happy thought to realize that there are good people still in our world that care what happens to the most vulnerable in society.

“I’m not against the naughty step” says Fergus Finlay; the witty chuckle is the vision of a man who cares. He represents everything we should believe in, he will redefine the mistakes of a previous generation.

 This is why all need to vote YES on November 10^th 2012. It’s time to redefine the past.

 

"Bad Things happen to Good People" The Moral of the story....

"Bad Things happen to Good People" 

The past few weeks have seen me take a break from my blog to catch up on real life.... 

Real life however has seen the harsh realities of how cruel the human race can be exposed to even greater depths. The death of Jill Meagher in Australia horrified the world, and it really struck me that bad things happen to good people. We all have that feeling that Oh that would never happen to me!!!! but the tragedy of Jill's murder showed us all that it can.

Having returned recently from a summer in America it made me think how carefree we can be. I too have done as Jill did, and walk the quick 10 minute walk home instead of getting a taxi as have many of many friends. It's the belief that we are save but we never know where danger is preying upon us and this is the sad realities of the world we now live in. Jill Meagher's death is a tragic end to a beautiful life and my thoughts are with her family and will remain with them. Days after this the world woke up to another devastating story of April Jones who vanished in Wales after the 5 year old was last seen getting into a blue jeep. As it has transpired that was to be the last time \April would be seen. The tragedy evokes again memories to the case of Madeline McCann. April is presumed dead and her abductor has been charged with murder but the 5 year old remains missing. I fear she will become another victim who remains missing forever.

But life must go on....... or so they say

Life goes on... but how? I can't imagine the pain both these families are going through and yet there we have that phrase "Life must go on". It is true that we must continue, but the pain also continues with us also.

The 411 on The MAJ.......

M A J I hear you say, what’s that? Good question. The MAJ in simpler terms is the MA Journalism program here at NUI Galway that I have found myself a student of. 

I have to admit I love the course and being a Journalist. I have also become the Co News & Features Editor of SIN Student Newspaper and a presenter of The Weekly Word on Flirt FM here in Galway.

Look Like things are picking up pace in The West for this blogger.......

Until next time 

S