Ideas for the Unit One Speech

1) Cyberbullying – When I first heard of Cyberbullying some time back in Elementary or Middle School, I honestly didn’t think almost anything of it. Since then, I heard it dozens more times throughout my schooling, and not once did I hear of actual cases of it among my peers. This, along with my extensive knowledge of the internet from the large portion of my life I’ve spent on it, have led me to hold that belief that Cyberbullying is significantly exaggerated. This isn’t to sound insensitive to the people that are actually victims of it, and these people do exist, but its prevalence in social media as a result of very anecdotal evidence of its impact on children and young adults makes it out to be a much larger issue than it actually is.

2) Social Media – While social media is widely used, it is also heavily criticized for taking away a large amount of the socialization that used to much more frequently take place during everyday life. Some say it has created the feeling of connection to our “friends” while actually isolating us.  HoweverPawel Kuczynski there are obviously also  some benefits. For example, it has become a key component of business relations due to its ease of use when it comes to connecting parties that otherwise wouldn’t be able to. On an individual level, it allows us to have a wider pool of people to meet than they otherwise would be able to, increasing the likelihood that they encounter people they can form strong bonds with due to similar interests.

3 comments

  1. Be sure to frame each question in a way that allows for a clarity of claims. So, for cyberbullying, are you asking: Is the problem of cyberbullying exaggerated? For social media, are you asking: Is tech/social media a problem/hindrance/detriment?

    The first one opens you up to questions of seriousness. How do you define a “serious” problem? This article might be helpful: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/cyberbullying-is-a-seriou_b_967310.html

  2. Really interested to hear your position on cyber-bullying.

  3. Both of these issues are great ideas since they each have 2 opposing sides with equally valid points. These are also issues that our age group is constantly exposed to.

Leave a Reply


Skip to toolbar