There’s an equation to a fight. 1 person plus 1 person, and then there’s the person filming, of course. The fight filmer is a superhero for many, saving them from their FOMO if they weren’t at school during the crazy event.
Almost immediately after – and maybe even during – there’s a video out that captures all aspects of the fight. While infamously, these videos look like pixels and motion sickness, they do enough to satisfy students’ curiosity and get sent out to everyone.
Multiplying faster than the common cold, most of the school will have their own video by the end of the day.
Why is our first reaction to take a video of something personal, and then spread that video all over? Should students think before sending videos of a fight and before taking a video in the first place?
It’s all over the news. Whenever something major happens, a story or event, there’s a video to back it up. It seems that when there’s something scary happening, you need to pull out your phone and capture it so people know. Can this be the same thing that’s happening with school fights?
Students might feel the responsibility to record a fight for the sake of proof and to video what’s going on, that can be understandable; however, there is a difference between using those videos to help others and spreading them around the school.
To see others at their lowest point, people who are your peers is something that deserves a second thought before sharing it with others.
Empathy is a wonderful trait that can only bring people together. The practice of ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’ is a perspective that we all need to have most days. Just thinking twice before sharing a video of a personal event can make all of the difference.
Considering your effects on other people is never the wrong thing to do.
The send button isn’t impulsive. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. When you’re put in a situation that’s already being handled, be careful of what your next steps are. The least someone can do is think if their recording duties are necessary before becoming involved in harming other people.