Introduction
The behavior of students is a frequent topic for research because the development of an adolescent’s personality has many peculiarities to discover. One of those concerns is the acceptance of rules and codes of behavior by students, the topic discussed in the paper by Raby (2005). This issue is often considered in the aspect of the impact those rules have on students’ futures. Another question that emerged recently comprises the open and secret social media lives of students and their reasons for concealing some of their personal issues as stated in an article by Homayoun (2017). The two problems seem different, but they are united by the influence on the development of personality.
Secret Social Media Lives
The issue of students’ secret social media lives became disturbing over the past few years. I agree with Ana Homayoun (2017) that it is not easy to trace the real roots of such behavior. Students post memes and pictures on the topics that would not be approved in society such as racism, sexual violence, and other types of abuse. Probably, the author of the article is right, on the supposition that a secret life in the social media provides “a false sense of confidence to say and do things they might not want a wider audience to see” (Homayoun, 2017, para. 6).
However, students are not aware of the unreliability of online privacy. I support the idea that this behavior has biological roots. Homayon (2017) claims that the combination of “social media pressure and underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain that helps us rationalize decisions, control impulsivity and make judgments” can cause adolescents to interest in forbidden online life (para. 11).
I believe it is crucial to show the adolescent users of social media the interrelationship between experiences they get online and in reality. A thoughtful application of social media can be useful because young people would learn to behave in online societies and transfer this experience to their real life. It can be one of the interventions to stimulate socialization and overcome the embarrassment of adolescents.
Students’ Codes of Behavior
Another important aspect of students’ behavior is the acceptance of codes and rules suggested by their educational institutions. For example, Raby (2005) discovers them concentrating on the rights, responsibilities, and self-government of the students. I agree that sets of rules are necessary to manage age, class, race, sexuality, and gender relations. I believe that school codes stimulate the development of awareness of rights, responsibilities, and citizenship. This position is stated in Ontario’s Code of Conduct. It claims that “responsible citizenship involves appropriate participation in the civic life of the school community” (Raby, 2005, p. 76).
Moreover, it is important that students realized the responsibility for their and other people’s rights. This aspect correlates with the idea expressed by Homayon (2017) that young people need some control while they are learning to behave in social networks and in society. Another role of school codes is the creation of workers. I support the author of the article in the idea that student behavior is connected with employment. Both issues demand punctuality and acceptance of rules to follow and tasks to complete.
Conclusions
On the whole, the aspects of adolescent behavior are directly related to their future lives. Both articles are similar in the impact of the analyzed issues on the future life and skills of young people. Thus, social networks teach adolescents to express themselves and learn to control the information. At the same time, codes of behavior stimulate the development of personal responsibilities through self-respect, self-regulation, and self-discipline together with obedience. The rules and regulations, which are components of students’ daily life, help to link personal responsibility to respect for nation and property.
References
Homayoun, A. (2017). The secret social media lives of teenagers. The New York Times. Web.
Raby, R. (2005). Polite, well-dressed and on time: Secondary school conduct codes and the production of docile citizens. Canadian Review of Sociology, 42(1), 71-91. Web.