In Whitman High School,
Maryland, the page Whitman Compliments was well received in the time that the
page was up. Some students had even tried to out nice other commenters. The compliments were anonymous and most people
who had posted on the compliment facebook page took it seriously. The creator
of the page, Eyal Hanfling only kept the page open for four days because he
believes that face to face complimenting is always more meaningful, plus the
fact that managing the page takes up homework time. How does the facebook page “Aragon
Compliments” sound? For those who do not have a facebook, myself included, how
would you feel if somebody you ran into complimented you just because they felt
like it?
8 comments:
I personally think that the "Aragon High School Compliments" Facebook page is a really nice idea. I'm glad to see more love and a little less hate on the Internet and I believe that the page has given a positive boost to everyone that has seen it, so kudos to whoever created it! However, I agree that it leaves out a big group of people who don't have a Facebook (although I have seen multiple compliments for non-Facebook users on the page). Also, I hope people don't use the page's anonymity and popularity as their only reason to brighten someone's day. Ideally, everyone should be that spontaneously nice in person. However, this page is a great start to achieving that and making our Aragon community that much better.
I also think that the Aragon Compliments page is a nice idea. It's interesting--there is both more animosity and kindness on the internet when given the opportunity to remain anonymous. In my opinion, that speaks to the "typical teenager"'s fear of judgment, and also seems to be related to psychological factors such as groupthink and a loss of inhibitions when one will not be held responsible for their own actions (or in this case, words).
Some have described the page as a popularity contest, but that is not how I view it at all. There have been several compliments directed at groups of people--both specific and general (ie, "To everyone who has yet to receive a compliment, you are great." I'm paraphrasing, but the idea is the same). There are some other perhaps "iffy" factors about the page, but all in all, I would have to conclude that the overall message this page is sending is a good one.
Overall, I'd agree that the compliments page is a nice idea--though it definitely has a few flaws. For example, the lack of responsibility for anonymous words grants an opportunity to give compliments that are, well, less than sincere. It seems like it would be better to use this page as a sort of jumping-off point for more personal (or at least less digital) ways of making life as an Aragon student nicer. It's one thing to write out a compliment on facebook, but it's a far more meaningful gesture to actually do something in person. Like much of the activism that students take part in, this page is based more on being a good person digitally than in person. It's easy to like a page to "raise awareness" for some cause, to win a facebook voting contest, or to type out a complimentary sentence. It's much more difficult to go and volunteer, to reach out in person to help someone, or to watch your actions at school to make sure that you're not inadvertently hurting someone.
All that being said, it's lovely to see an effort to make the internet and the school kinder places.
I think the Aragon Compliments page is great. Our school has been known for its lack of spirit and I agreed with this notion over the years. However, this year seems to be quite different with the great effort put into the school by both leadership and staff members. I think that this Aragon Compliments page is a product of our growing school and I feel as though it shows unity and encourages action to individuals. It may discourage face to face compliments, but I think this page allows for a start for one to speak out, rather than holding compliments to oneself.
I agree with all the above comments in that compliments pages are a generally really good idea. Although, as Eavan mentioned, some students have been calling the Aragon Compliments page a "popularity contest," I think that the effort that is being made to unify Aragon students and brighten their days is extremely commendable. The Facebook page excludes many students that do not have a Facebook and the compliments page clearly isn't perfect, but it is definitely a positive step in an opposite direction than cyberbullying and hate on the internet. Obviously it would be ideal for people to give compliments and just be nice in person, but having something like a compliments page gives students the opportunity to speak out about fellow students that they may not normally interact with. Sure, one could argue that this reduces face-to-face compliments, but one could also easily argue that this is a push in the right direction that students need. Overall, I think that the compliments page is a really cute idea is a fantastic step in improving the Aragon community
Compliments that are shallow are not worth anything. It's like the phrase, "I love you." The more and more it is used, the less and less it means. It is exactly like in politics. The word "promise" is used over and over again to attract people to a certain party. Many times the "promise" is never kept and eventually a "promise" in politics is considered a joke by many. I feel like an "Aragon Compliments" page sounds very meh. It is not something that will benefit people as a whole. Personally when I'm being complimented, I want it to have depth.
I like that students are having the opportunity to break the stereotype and habits of cyberbullying. Though I think that the Aragon High School Compliments page is a great place to start, I think that everyone should be encouraged to share their compliments and good thoughts about others face-to-face and not anonymously. That way, they are more genuine and students who do not have facebooks can get some of the love too.
I think it's great that people are actually trying to reach out and be kind over the internet. For a lot of people, the internet has a bad reputation of cyber-bullying, hate speech, and sex offenders. Students complimenting each other over Facebook is a breath of fresh air, especially considering teenagers are often brutal to one and other.
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