Rebecca Mace is a teacher and researcher, specialising in adolescent use of social media and the concept of ‘digital character’. She is studying for her PhD at the UCL Institute of Education, and is Head of Digital Character Development and teacher of philosophy at Cheltenham College.
Rebecca has been a wonderful supporter and invaluable source of knowledge and guidance for Be Her Lead. She delivered workshops at our conference and teacher training days, and most recently took part in our Be Her Lead virtual coffee series, running a session on e-safety and wellbeing during lockdown.
Virtual classrooms require teenagers to be constantly ‘on display’
Selfie-obsessed, or just self-conscious?
The ‘selfie generation’ has a reputation for being image obsessed. However, the idea of being ‘on display’ constantly, with no opportunity to just blend into the amorphous mass of a class group, is not something that the majority of teenagers relish. In a ‘real life’ classroom a student may choose to sit at the back because they do not want to be watched – they would rather remain, unseen and anonymous. But suddenly some are finding, with the advent of online teaching, that they are expected to be visible in a virtual classroom, with the camera rolling.
Virtual classrooms: risks and misconceptions
Guidance published from the NEU advised teachers against live streamed lessons or video calls from their homes, with Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary of the NEU union, stating: "We don't want to put our members in any position where they could end up having their image shared. That's a concern for us". She said that, for example, screen grabs could be taken of a teacher, then posted on other sites. But what about student concerns of exactly the same thing taking place?
“Within the context of social media teenagers curate their content carefully [...] But now there is the expectation to be visible, camera on, in their online classroom.”
Due to misplaced narratives involving digital natives and digital immigrants it is generally assumed that the online space is a natural habitat for many adolescents. Many hold the belief that the vast majority of teenagers with sufficient means, have moved to online lessons with no problem whatsoever. However, this is not necessarily the case. Within the context of social media teenagers curate their content carefully. By and large they keep their audiences controlled – certain groups for certain pictures, and certain levels of potential vulnerability. They will have set up Finsta and Rinsta Accounts (Fake Insta and Real Insta) in order to filter their audiences. But now there is the expectation to be visible, camera on, in their online classroom. Teens are left unaware of, and more importantly unable to control, who from their class might be looking at them at any one time.
A recipe for anxiety and stress
“In their minds it is as if they are always making a class presentation, stood up at the front of the room with everyone looking at them”
As a general rule adolescence is a time in which one is especially self conscious – hyper-aware of what others might think or who might ‘see’ them. As a result, in a ‘real life’ classroom a student may choose to sit at the back. This may be because they do not want to be seen, preferring instead to blend, or at the very least not spend an hour feeling like they are on display with eyes drilling into the back of their head. They certainly do not choose to sit directly facing their peers, face to face with people they may not like, be slightly afraid of, or even fancy! Even if the offline classroom is arranged in small groups they will not be facing the entire class. The way that a student faces the screen means they are in effect directly facing every member of their class throughout each lesson. In their minds it is as if they are always making a class presentation, stood up at the front of the room with everyone looking at them. Add this to the fact that they might be recorded doing so then you have a recipe for anxiety and stress.
Unwillingly on display
It is worth bearing in mind that although the ‘selfie generation’ has a reputation for being image obsessed, they are more than likely to have spent a good deal of time thinking about the images of themselves they want to have out there. The idea of being ‘on display’ constantly, with no opportunity to just blend into the amorphous mass of a class group, is not really something that the majority of them relish.
Beki delivering a workshop on ‘Social Media: The Highs and Lows of the Likes and Follows’ at a Be Her Lead teacher training day in February
If you are interested in inviting Rebecca to your school to deliver a workshop for teachers or students, get in touch with her via Twitter (@beki_mace) or email hello@beherlead.com for an e-intro.