From Digital Awareness
to Responsible Citizenship
Watch • Reflect • Question • Apply
SOCIAL MEDIA AND STUDENTS
M.A. English – SEC-1
MKBU
Watch, Reflect and Write
Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad Sir
More Than Watching Videos
As a part of the M.A. English – SEC-1 paper, “Social Media and Students,” I was assigned this Thinking Activity, “Watch, Reflect and Write,” by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad Sir.
The purpose of this activity is not simply to watch videos and write their summaries. It encourages students to understand, reflect, question, evaluate and connect digital issues with real-life situations.
The activity brings together five different aspects of digital life: online harassment, digital footprints, the economics of creativity, distracted driving and social-media addiction.
From Digital Skills to Digital Citizenship
The accompanying academic material presents this activity as a form of digital skilling and reflective learning. Its larger purpose is to help students move beyond passive consumption of social media and develop critical, ethical, self-aware and responsible digital behaviour.
“Am I controlling technology,
or is technology controlling me?”
This question became the starting point of my reflection throughout the five videos.
Five Videos • Five Digital Questions
Online Harassment
How should we respond to harmful behaviour online?
Digital Footprint
What does the internet remember about us?
Creativity & Money
What happens when creativity enters the digital economy?
Digital Distraction
Can a few seconds of distraction change a life?
Social Media & Addiction
Who controls our attention?
MY STARTING POINT
For me, this activity became an opportunity not only to understand the five videos, but also to examine my own attention, choices, online behaviour and responsibilities.
The Problem with “Don't Feed the Trolls”
Steph Guthrie • TEDxToronto
When online behaviour becomes harmful, is silence really the best response?
About the Video
The Problem with “Don't Feed the Trolls” is a talk by Steph Guthrie presented at TEDxToronto. The talk examines online trolling, harassment, misogyny and the responsibility of people who witness harmful behaviour on digital platforms.
The common advice “don't feed the trolls” suggests that ignoring provocation is the best way to deal with online abuse. Guthrie questions this idea when online behaviour becomes serious harassment rather than simple internet provocation.
From Online Provocation to Digital Responsibility
A harmful or provocative post
People respond, share or remain silent
Harm can become normalised
Support • Report • Respond
A Simple Example
“You are stupid. Shut up.”
“I disagree with your opinion because I understand the issue differently.”
Think About
| Question | My Reflection |
|---|---|
| What is an online troll? | A person who deliberately posts provocative, offensive or harmful content to disturb or provoke others. |
| Why can ignoring trolls be inadequate? | Ignoring minor provocation may sometimes help, but serious harassment should not simply be normalised. |
| What is a bystander's responsibility? | A bystander should not encourage harassment and can support the person being targeted or report serious abuse. |
| How should we disagree online? | We should criticise ideas rather than attack people personally. |
Silence Is Not Always the Answer
The video made me realise that being a responsible social-media user is not only about controlling my own posts. It is also about how I behave when I see someone else being treated unfairly.
For example, if I see a person being unnecessarily humiliated online, I should not like or share the abusive content simply because it is receiving attention.
Critical Response
I agree with Guthrie's central message, but I also believe that intervention should be safe and thoughtful. Direct confrontation is not always the best solution. In serious situations, reporting, blocking and supporting the targeted person may be more effective.
“Do not become part of the problem when you can become part of the solution.”
My personal takeaway from Steph Guthrie's talk
The Truth About Money in Music
When creativity becomes a profession, art meets economics.
CREATIVITY • MUSIC • DIGITAL ECONOMY • INCOME • ARTISTIC IDENTITY
The Truth About Money in Music
What Is the Video Really Saying?
The documentary challenges the simple idea that a successful musician automatically earns a comfortable living. Behind music that reaches an audience, there are many expenses, people and economic decisions.
Musicians may earn through performances, touring, licensing, production, streaming and brand partnerships. Therefore, creativity may be the beginning of a career, but it is not always the whole economic structure.
From Creativity to Livelihood
Song • Composition • Performance
Listeners • Fans • Communities
Shows • Licensing • Streaming
Career • Independence • Growth
A Multi-Source Creative Career
Live Performance
Concerts, events and performances can become important sources of income.
Licensing
Music can generate income when it is licensed for different uses.
Production
Artists may also work as producers, composers or collaborators.
Brand Partnerships
Collaborations with brands can create another source of revenue.
Why “Success” Does Not Always Mean Profit
A Band Is More Than Its Music
The documentary points towards an important economic reality: when several musicians depend on music as their livelihood, the amount of money generated by the band must cover much more than the musicians' personal earnings.
Members & collaborators
Touring & transportation
Equipment & recording
Commissions & management
Expenses and professional costs exist between the two.
Two Sides of a Creative Career
| CREATIVE SIDE | ECONOMIC SIDE |
|---|---|
| Originality | Income strategy |
| Artistic expression | Audience development |
| Experimentation | Market decisions |
| Creative identity | Financial sustainability |
Talent Is the Beginning — Not the Entire Career
The digital age has made it easier for artists to reach audiences, but reaching people and earning a sustainable income are different challenges. A creative career requires talent, consistency, audience connection, professional knowledge and financial awareness.
When Creativity Meets Money
As someone who enjoys singing, I found this video personally interesting. It made me understand that enjoying a creative activity and making a profession from it are two different things.
Talent is important, but professional knowledge, financial planning and understanding the industry are also necessary.
Does Money Destroy Creativity?
I do not think that every brand sponsorship means an artist has “sold out.” A partnership can be beneficial when it supports the artist while allowing creative freedom.
Art + Sustainability
The real challenge is to earn from creativity without allowing commercial pressure to completely control the creative identity of the artist.
What Can Students Learn From This?
Develop your skill.
Understand your field.
Think about sustainability.
Protect your creative identity.
“Value your creativity, but never lose your creative identity for money.”
I chose this message because creative success should not be measured only by financial gain. Creativity also carries personal identity, expression and meaning.
The digital economy can change how creativity is distributed and monetised — but the question remains: How can creators earn without losing what makes their work their own?
From One Second to the Next
When a few seconds of distraction can change an entire life.
WERNER HERZOG • DISTRACTED DRIVING • TECHNOLOGY • RESPONSIBILITY
The Power of One Second
You can add an image related to distracted driving, mobile phones or road safety here.
A Message Meant to Shock Us into Responsibility
From One Second to the Next, directed by Werner Herzog, shows the devastating consequences of texting while driving.
Instead of presenting distracted driving only through statistics, the documentary tells the stories of real people whose lives were changed because a driver looked at a phone for only a few seconds.
For me, the strongest message is simple: a message can wait, but a human life cannot.
A Tiny Distraction → A Lifetime of Consequences
Notification / text
Eyes leave the road
One moment
Permanent impact
The Human Cost Behind the Message
Xavier
An eight-year-old boy was struck by a driver who was texting. The accident caused severe spinal-cord damage and permanently changed his life.
Chandler
While texting while driving, Chandler collided with an Amish buggy. Three people were killed in the crash.
Debbie
Debbie suffered severe injuries after being struck by a teenager who was texting while driving. Her health and independence were deeply affected.
Reggie
Reggie's distracted driving contributed to a crash that killed two young men. He later faced the emotional burden of guilt and responsibility.
From Distraction to Aftermath
MESSAGE
DISTRACTION
ACCIDENT
AFTERMATH
The documentary makes this sequence painfully human rather than merely theoretical.
Two Choices, Two Directions
| DIGITAL DISTRACTION | RESPONSIBLE CHOICE |
|---|---|
| Check the notification immediately | Wait until reaching a safe place |
| Believe “it will only take a second” | Recognise that every second matters |
| Put the phone before the road | Put human safety first |
| React immediately | Respond only when it is safe |
Where Should Our Attention Be?
Questions Raised by the Documentary
- Why do people continue texting while driving even when they know the risks?
- What can happen because of a distraction lasting only a few seconds?
- How does constant connectivity affect our ability to concentrate?
- What responsibilities do drivers and passengers have?
One Second Can Change a Life
The documentary made me think about how strongly we depend on our phones. Sometimes we feel that every message requires an immediate response.
But after seeing the stories in the documentary, I realised that no message is important enough to risk another person's life.
The story of Megan and Reggie also taught me something beyond road safety. It showed the difficult possibility of taking responsibility, facing guilt and eventually moving towards forgiveness.
My Rule for the Road
I will never text or check messages while driving. If I am travelling with someone who is driving, I can also help by handling their phone when necessary.
“Road first. Phone second.”
“No text message is worth risking a human life.”
I have selected this message because a message can wait, but a human life cannot be brought back.
How Social Media Destroys Your Life?
Science Behind Addiction — Dhruv Rathee
🎥 Watch the Video
Understanding Social-Media Addiction
The video examines social-media habits, attention, addiction, algorithms and digital well-being. It explains why we repeatedly check our phones even when we do not have a specific reason to do so.
It discusses dopamine, anticipation, quick rewards, easy access, infinite scrolling, notifications and personalised recommendations.
The Dopamine–Reward Loop
A simple visual model of how notifications and digital rewards can encourage repeated checking.
Dopamine is involved in motivation, anticipation and reward learning. The important point is not simply that social media “creates pleasure”; rather, notifications and unpredictable rewards can encourage us to keep checking for what might come next.
Why Do We Keep Checking Our Phones?
When a phone produces a notification, we may immediately become curious about what is waiting for us. That anticipation can motivate us to check the device.
From Golden Apples to Endless Feeds
The video connects modern digital behaviour with ideas that can be understood through ancient stories. Atalanta's golden apples provide a memorable metaphor for distraction: something small can capture attention and pull us away from our original goal.
ATALANTA
Golden apples distracted Atalanta from her path.
DIGITAL DISTRACTION
Notifications, short videos and endless feeds can compete for our attention today.
Five Digital Features That Compete for Attention
Bring our attention back.
Removes a clear stopping point.
Recommend personalised content.
Likes and comments create feedback.
Provide rapidly changing stimulation.
Questions Raised by the Video
| Question | My Reflection |
|---|---|
| Why do social-media platforms encourage prolonged engagement? | Quick rewards, notifications and personalised content can encourage repeated checking. |
| How can excessive social-media use affect attention? | Constant interruptions can make sustained concentration more difficult. |
| What is useful use? | Using technology with a clear purpose, such as learning or communicating about an assignment. |
| What is compulsive use? | Opening an app repeatedly without a clear purpose and losing track of time. |
Purposeful Use vs Automatic Use
The difference is not simply how much technology we use, but whether we are using it intentionally.
When the Phone Starts Controlling Us
I can relate to this very easily. Sometimes I open my phone to check one message. Then I see another notification, open social media, watch a short video and continue scrolling.
I may initially intend to spend only a few minutes, but suddenly much more time has passed.
Technology Can Shape Attention
Digital platforms can encourage repeated engagement through notifications, personalised feeds and quick rewards.
Social Media Is Not Completely Bad
Social media can help students learn, communicate, discover opportunities and express creativity. The problem begins when intentional use becomes automatic use.
My Five Personal Rules for Responsible Digital Citizenship
The five rules I want to carry forward from this Thinking Activity.
Think Before I Post
Before posting anything, I will think about its possible consequences. A post may take only a few seconds to create, but its impact can last much longer.
Safety Before the Screen
I will never use my phone while driving. A message, call or notification can wait, but a human life cannot.
My Attention Is My Responsibility
I will control unnecessary scrolling instead of allowing social media to control my time. My attention is valuable, so I should choose where I give it.
Respect Before I React
I will disagree with ideas without attacking or insulting people. Even when I disagree, I can communicate with respect.
Protect Before I Share
I will protect my privacy and remember that my digital footprint can become part of my future identity.
My Digital Code at a Glance
| Rule | My Principle | What I Will Do |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Think Before I Post | Consider the consequences. |
| 02 | Safety Before the Screen | Never use my phone while driving. |
| 03 | My Attention Is My Responsibility | Reduce unnecessary scrolling. |
| 04 | Respect Before I React | Disagree without becoming abusive. |
| 05 | Protect Before I Share | Protect privacy and digital identity. |
“I want to use technology as a tool for learning, creativity and connection — not as something that controls me.”
These five rules are not only ideas for this activity. They are principles I want to carry into my everyday digital life.
References
Barad, Dilip. “Social Media and Students.”
Blog of Prof. Dilip Barad, 23 August 2026.
https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2026/08/social-media-and-students.html
“Social Media and Students.”
ResearchGate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/413541209_Social_Media_and_Students
Guthrie, Steph. “The Problem with ‘Don't Feed the Trolls’.”
TEDxToronto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KHEkR5yb9A
Enriquez, Juan. “Your Online Life, Permanent as a Tattoo.”
TED2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu1C-oBdsMM
The Truth About Money in Music.
graetzmedia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZwvTVFMSds
Herzog, Werner.
From One Second to the Next — Texting While Driving Documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk1vCqfYpos
Rathee, Dhruv.
How Social Media Destroys Your Life? — Science Behind Addiction.
https://youtu.be/bJj8XEw-zCg
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