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lol...OMG!: Opinion and Review regarding Digital Citizenship

By Anonymous

Rating: 5/5 Panther Paws

When you enter Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social networking site, you are immediately given the ability to share anything with anyone, for better or worse. I recently read a book titled lol...OMG!: What Every Student Needs to Know about Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship and Cyberbullying, by Matt Ivester, about social lives and how the internet and its numerous social networks can be dangerous. The book reflects on tragic and true stories of people just like us whose lives were ruined because they didn't think before posting things that anyone could see. There are also cases in which people were cyberbullied unintentionally by their friends, who didn't understand how their actions would be viewed, and there were times when people posted comments and texts saying things they would never say in real life, because they couldn't see the recipient's reaction.

At first  this was just going to be a book review, but I realized that there was so much more I could say. This is a real issue that needs to be resolved. Not too long ago, an assembly here at Mill Valley Middle School was held to address this subject. This assembly was just like the book, giving examples to teach us the true harm that the internet can cause.

The book, lol...OMG!, is only a little over a hundred pages long, but it holds a lot of information. Still, it presents facts in an interesting and intriguing way, not all crammed together and tiring like a textbook. It is very easy to read and it kept me interested
I have always been very cautious before posting, texting and commenting online. I usually take a little time to review what I have written to make sure that nothing can be misunderstood. In lol...OMG!, the author explains how this is useful to keep someone from misjudging you for a simple phrasing error.
    Another thing to remember is to be careful what you post or send because even if it’s just a private message to a friend, that friend might not be reliable. One of the book’s stories involves a person telling a friend personal information over an e-mail. The friend thinks it’s funny to post the info online, which causes big problems. Always know your friends before telling them a secret.

Overall, lol...OMG! is an interesting and very relevant book, and it is great for anyone who spends time on social media. Pick up a copy, and you’ll learn a lot.

--Owen Reese, SENIOR STAFF WRITER


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