Implications of online social media to sensitivity education

Abstract

Violence can be identified in contemporary society in both virtual and non-virtual environments. Violent behaviors in the non-virtual environment were analyzed by Abib as being the result of the conflict between primeval and evolved sensibilities and propose, therefore, the project of sensitivity education, which aims to restore the balance between these sensitivities. This paper aimed to evaluate if online social media can contribute to the sensitivity education, complying with its principles and strategies. For this, theoretical-bibliographical research was conducted, whose sources were 34 articles published in the journal Computers and Human Behavior; and the analysis was based on the fundamental concepts of sensitivity education. Favorable (prosocial) behaviors which are based on the principles and strategies of sensitivity education were identified, and unfavorable (antisocial) behaviors that are not consistent with the principles and strategies of sensitivity education. It was concluded that online social networks could enable the education of sensitivity, but the possibilities of anonymity, false profiles, and the very structure of the Internet can hinder its development.