The Etiquette of Social Media

In the new age of technology photos are shared faster than ever. With phones carrying quality cameras along with access to the internet, it is easier to share moments than ever before. Social media cites like Facebook offer an easy way to share photos with friends and family...and a whole of bunch of people you don't know and might not want seeing the picture. Despite the dangers of being too "snap-happy" people are posting intimate moments more than ever on social media sites. Sometimes we forget to think before we post. You see, while you're sharing your latest and greatest moments with your friends or those who were there, you are also sharing them with people who you may not want to see the photos, like a boss or a college. Many people are starting to see the dangers that teens cannot and are creating an etiquette, for example Anna Post, great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, co-wrote "Emily Post's Etiquette 18th Edition: Manners for a New World". This book provides helpful tips and guidlines to live by when taking and posting photos to social media sites. Some of her helpful ideas are seen in CNN's article, "The etiquette of constant photos, Facebook".

But the question I would like to ask is what is the driving force behind the desire to take all of the photos. To, as Post puts it, take yourself out of the event in order to capture the moment. The moment you're not even a part of. Is it a desire to show others how much fun you're having? To incite jealousy? Or is it because you genuinely want to tell others that care about you, though are not with you, about your life? Facebook could just be considered an easier way to keep in touch with those you know, but cannot be with. I believe that is how it started, but now it has changed. I certainly don't know six hundred and thirty-six people. And I know that I don't need to keep in touch with all of them. So why is it so popular?

I think its a desire to, partly keep in touch with friends, but to also meet new people. However, at the same time it is there to create what seem like friendships with a whole bunch of people you don't know, or perhaps don't even like.

Heroism: The Ordinary Being Extraordinary

To wrap up the recent series on heroism, I would like to attempt to answer the question: what makes a hero? I've now told five stories that included countless heroes. Everyday people, like you and me, who saved a most precious gift, life. Many were compared to Angels. They were considered a blessing from God. What was so great about their acts that made them Divine?

The first story talked of eight bystanders who saved three children from the icy clutches of a river in Logan, Utah. These were random drivers who came to the aid of a distressed father. They saved the day with their fast action of rescuing the three children, two of whom seemed to have drowned.

The second tale was of many bystanders who rescued a motorcyclist trapped beneath a burning vehicle. The many people who happened to be walking around that road in Logan, Utah, were able to use the strength of numbers to lift the car up while another pulled the trapped boy from beneath the fiery automobile.

The third event was of a teenage girl whose car careened of the Florida interstate and into a canal. People driving by came to her rescue by flipping the car on its side and using a trailer hitch to break open the window and pull the girl to safety.

The fourth tale was of a mother and two children who were imprisoned in a burning car. The neighbors came to their aid by breaking open the windshield and rescuing them all. The two firefighters involved suffered burns to their hands and arms, but they would stop at nothing to save the last boy who was trapped inside.

The fifth tale was the greatest, I think. A man who witnessed a young man falling onto the Subway tracks risked his life by jumping in after him. He used quick thinking to push the young man into the gutter and cover him with his body.

In all the above stories, the bystanders who came to the rescue had no relation to the victims, no desire for recognition, and no super powers. They were everyday folk, like you and me. The only difference is they risked their lives to save another's. That's what makes them heroes. They are ordinary people who did extraordinary acts.

Heroism: The Subway Superhero

Near the beginning of the new year back in 2007, a man risked his life to save another's. In New York City, Wesley Autrey, a navy veteran, saved a young man from being hit by a subway. Autrey saw Cameron H having a siezure by the subway tracks. Cameron while trying to find support on a column fell onto the subway tracks. Autrey immediately took action by setting his two daughters with a nearby woman and jumping onto the tracks. With the train, though trying to stop, coming at him, he attempted to grab Cameron and get him off the tracks. Unfortunately there wasn't time. Thinking fast, Autrey pushed Cameron into the gutter and lay down on top of him to protect him from the subway. Autrey's heroic story was told by CNN's Randi Kaye:


Wesley Autrey wasn't looking for recognition when he saved Cameron's life. He was simply doing a good deed. This is another instance when a random bystander comes to the rescue of a helpless victim. He was dubbed the "Subway Superhero". But what makes him a hero? Was it the way he risked his life, or his quick thinking, or a combination? Though Autrey doesn't know if he was a hero, he knows that what's important is that "any life is worth saving." A powerful message, a heroic one even. Maybe its the preciousness of the life that is saved that makes the hero great. What does make a hero great?

Heroism: Fire is No Match

To continue with the theme of heroism another example is from the summer of 2009. A mother and her two children crashed their car into a tree. The car immediately ignited. Lucky for them the good samartans of the neighborhood saved the mother and her two children. There happened to be two firefighters in the crowd who risked their lives crawling into the burning car to save the four year old boy who was still trapped inside. A bystander was able to catch the whole event on video:



The video depicts the frantic bystanders running to save the family trapped in the car. They broke open the windshield and then had to cut the last boy free. The whole family survived due to the speed and helpfulness of their neighbors. These firefighters and the others who helped became heroes. Why? Their feat was great, but they are no different than you and me. Do we all contain the potential for great acts? Is it the completion of the great act that made all the difference? Perhaps we are all heroes that are waiting for the opportunity to present itself. These great citizens took the initiative to save a family without the hope of fame and fortune. Maybe that's what makes them heroes. What do you think?