After watching The Sextortion of Amanda Todd by The Fifth Estate, I realized that so many kids these days are growing up way too fast. Technology is everywhere in today’s society and most kids have access to it. Kids are searching the Internet and using social media at such a young age, and at that age they are not afraid to communicate with other people around the world.

I never fully heard the story of Amanda Todd until I watched this video. I heard things here and there, and the sad thing is, I also heard a lot of rumors about her story. When someone commits suicide, young or old, we have to be sympathetic towards the victim, the family, and the cause, but unfortunately there are people out there who laugh and make fun of people who have committed suicide or who are depressed. We have to use technology in a positive way, and we need to empower others to do the same.

Technology helps us learn new things and helps us interact with others, but unfortunately with technology, bullying has become so much easier to do. Cyber bullying is something that happens in every day life, and many people find no shame in being the bully since they can hide behind a screen. Amanda Todd was bullied in several ways, including being bullied online; cyber bullying. I found a list of cyber bullying statistics, and it says that over half of young people (52%) have reported being cyber bullied. Sadly, those statistics did not shock me at all. I have also been a victim of cyber bullying and I can say that it not a good feeling. I used to have a Tumblr account where I would reblog pictures that I liked, but then one day I started to get anonymous messages saying very hurtful things. After a couple months those messages stopped, but then a friend of mine found a picture of me on the Whisper app. There was something rude written on it, and right away I told my mom. After ignoring everything long enough, the messages stopped and my life was back to normal. Even though this only went on for four months, I felt horrible about myself, but I’m glad I had people there for me. It’s important to know that no matter what you are going through, there are always people there for you.



As a future educator, I want to educate my students on the role that technology plays in our lives and how technology can affect us. I feel that technology is important to use in and out of the classroom, but only if it is used properly. I need to inform my students of the dangers of the Internet and that whatever you post on the Internet will always be there. I will warn my students of online predator’s and I will give them useful resources as to what they should do if they encounter any bad situations online.

Of course there are many good things that can come from being online as well, which is also what I want to share with my students. The internet is where they can make their image public and show everyone who they are. It is where you can socialize with friends and family, and where you can play games. Of course, there are people, like Amanda, who create a persona of who they want to be and they can act as that person. At school she was a shy, and awkward girl, but online she was a very talented girl who shared videos of her singing, and she wasn’t afraid to express herself. Sometimes you can get so caught up in being online and meeting new people, that you believe that they are who they say they are. I believe that acting your true self is the best way to go; online and offline.

Overall, I believe that technology is good and bad. There are many benefits to using technology, but there are also many faults. Technology is part of every day life, so we need to use it properly and effectively.