While watching this film, I had an overwhelming sense of sympathy for the young girls. It reminded me of all the experiences of cyber bullying my friends and peers endured in high school. I believe the movie reflected the false accusations the internet can perpetrate. Instantaneous information supported by the digital age, paired with attention-hungry girls, contribute to damaging social interactions. As shown in the movie, exaggerated, witch-hunt inspired events wrongly framed the Sisterhood as a dangerous, destructive cult. In reality, the group of girls treated their Sisterhood as a group therapy in which they could gain a highly-desired sense of comfort and acceptance. Emily's fabricated story led to a teens suicide. Her thirst for popularity was gained through the use of the internet and social media. Overall, I think this film provides an accurate portrayal of the themes of toxicity linked to the digital age. (Sophia Uhl)
Although I guess the whole point of the movie was that everyone (students, parents, faculty, the news) were bugging out about nothing since all the girls did was tell secrets to each other; I was definitely a little disappointed in that plot twist. I was expecting more than that but once I accepted the fact that the movie is more about teaching lessons about today’s digital society than being a straight-up horror/thriller, I suppose it did a good job at doing just that. The movie clearly shows the dangers of social media use by teenagers mixed the sensationalistic nature of the news (and the meddling reporters who take unfortunately perfectly-timed photos), who love to spin stories all the time for their own benefit.
Cyberbullying is at the forefront of our nation’s issues because of both the ease of use and privacy of the internet to cause harm to other people. Once something is published on the internet, it never goes away. Public shaming of a teenager online can cause severe embarrassment and just like in the movie with Lavinia, lead to suicide. Teenagers don’t always think of the consequences that come with using the internet until something bad happens, as we saw with Emily Parris, and the high that came with her falsely created popularity.
I liked the Salem witch trial parallels; but no, it's not really a horror film. Though some of what happens in horrifying; it's kind of a hybrid of genres, I think.
I think it is really strange that everyone in the girls' high school freaked out because they decided to delete their Facebooks. This kind of made it seem like they were leading their lives in secret... instead of on display on the Internet. I like to delete my own Facebook sometimes for similar reasons. And when I do so... my friends seem to forget I exist!! I don't get invited anywhere as often ... I don't know what anyone is doing at all times... but I can actually live a decent life without feeling the need to fill people in on how I'm doing or how I'm living. This secrecy scares people. We are too open in this world now about our feelings and everyone just seems to know every detail... This sisterhood goes against that and limits the number of people (and the quality of the people?) who know about their lives.
Hey Nicole. I also thought that part was strange. We have become so attached to social media. The person we project on social media, isn't really us. "Facebook Friends" are just mere acquaintances for the most part.
Yes, the sisterhood goes against the status quo. People believe they have the right to know, everyone else's business.
A good point about digital "silence" equalling secrecy. In the original story (which I have copied son if anyone wants to read it) does not exist in a world of digital media; so the Sisterhood is a secret club that still fascinates people because no one knows what the girls do and so fill in their curiosity with rumors and accusations; hence the Salem witch trial comparisons.
I had watched a movie a second time to help better understand where the girls were coming from and why they were being so secretive. They weren't acting this way to hurt anyone, but it had gotten so out of control that people were getting hurt, and girl took her own life because of the malice of some of these students. The movie does excellent in what it was meant to do; depict typical high school drama but with a serious and realistic tone and the consequences that come from bullying in school.
I think the movie did a good job with showing how fast news travels in high school and how concerned everyone is with each other’s personal lives. The fact that both sisterhoods (the girls who came forward about being molested and the girls and the Sisterhood) were able to support each other to express their troubles, fears, and past trauma shows the benefits of a form of group therapy. The basis for the creation of both groups may be questionable but their overall power helped a lot of teenagers attempt to handle their problems instead of keeping them inside.
Interesting point. I liked how "Kandy Kane" reiterates this at the end; that regardless of Emily's motivation, she did create a forum that emboldened abuse survivors to speak out: breaking through a kind of "silence" that is all too pervasive.
It seems as though TV shows set in earlier time periods catch on very quickly; partly because the absence of personal technology makes for more dynamic stories. Our "real lives" (where people are on phones and computers all the time) are rather boring if portrayed authentically in this way.
The interesting thing I gathered from this film was that these girls were taking a vow of silence from social media, and because of that, these girls were perceived to be apart of a cult like group just because they were different from the norm and were not on social media. Social media has become such an integral part of today's society, and you are looked at differently if you are not on social media.
The thing about this movie that got my attention was the fact that these girls all were assumed of being in a "cult" and bringing harm to the school. But meanwhile, the whole time the cyberbullying is coming from a girl who wants to be in the "cult". And then to further this point, the cyberbully becomes this girl who is looked up to by people throughout the community. The level of cyberbullying is taken to a whole new level with this film.
While watching this film, I had an overwhelming sense of sympathy for the young girls. It reminded me of all the experiences of cyber bullying my friends and peers endured in high school. I believe the movie reflected the false accusations the internet can perpetrate. Instantaneous information supported by the digital age, paired with attention-hungry girls, contribute to damaging social interactions. As shown in the movie, exaggerated, witch-hunt inspired events wrongly framed the Sisterhood as a dangerous, destructive cult. In reality, the group of girls treated their Sisterhood as a group therapy in which they could gain a highly-desired sense of comfort and acceptance. Emily's fabricated story led to a teens suicide. Her thirst for popularity was gained through the use of the internet and social media. Overall, I think this film provides an accurate portrayal of the themes of toxicity linked to the digital age. (Sophia Uhl)
ReplyDeleteI agree, it does seem to effectively capture the willful cruelty teenagers engage in.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I guess the whole point of the movie was that everyone (students, parents, faculty, the news) were bugging out about nothing since all the girls did was tell secrets to each other; I was definitely a little disappointed in that plot twist. I was expecting more than that but once I accepted the fact that the movie is more about teaching lessons about today’s digital society than being a straight-up horror/thriller, I suppose it did a good job at doing just that. The movie clearly shows the dangers of social media use by teenagers mixed the sensationalistic nature of the news (and the meddling reporters who take unfortunately perfectly-timed photos), who love to spin stories all the time for their own benefit.
ReplyDeleteCyberbullying is at the forefront of our nation’s issues because of both the ease of use and privacy of the internet to cause harm to other people. Once something is published on the internet, it never goes away. Public shaming of a teenager online can cause severe embarrassment and just like in the movie with Lavinia, lead to suicide. Teenagers don’t always think of the consequences that come with using the internet until something bad happens, as we saw with Emily Parris, and the high that came with her falsely created popularity.
I liked the Salem witch trial parallels; but no, it's not really a horror film. Though some of what happens in horrifying; it's kind of a hybrid of genres, I think.
DeleteI think it is really strange that everyone in the girls' high school freaked out because they decided to delete their Facebooks. This kind of made it seem like they were leading their lives in secret... instead of on display on the Internet. I like to delete my own Facebook sometimes for similar reasons. And when I do so... my friends seem to forget I exist!! I don't get invited anywhere as often ... I don't know what anyone is doing at all times... but I can actually live a decent life without feeling the need to fill people in on how I'm doing or how I'm living. This secrecy scares people. We are too open in this world now about our feelings and everyone just seems to know every detail... This sisterhood goes against that and limits the number of people (and the quality of the people?) who know about their lives.
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole. I also thought that part was strange. We have become so attached to social media. The person we project on social media, isn't really us. "Facebook Friends" are just mere acquaintances for the most part.
DeleteYes, the sisterhood goes against the status quo. People believe they have the right to know, everyone else's business.
A good point about digital "silence" equalling secrecy. In the original story (which I have copied son if anyone wants to read it) does not exist in a world of digital media; so the Sisterhood is a secret club that still fascinates people because no one knows what the girls do and so fill in their curiosity with rumors and accusations; hence the Salem witch trial comparisons.
DeleteI had watched a movie a second time to help better understand where the girls were coming from and why they were being so secretive. They weren't acting this way to hurt anyone, but it had gotten so out of control that people were getting hurt, and girl took her own life because of the malice of some of these students. The movie does excellent in what it was meant to do; depict typical high school drama but with a serious and realistic tone and the consequences that come from bullying in school.
ReplyDeleteI think the movie did a good job with showing how fast news travels in high school and how concerned everyone is with each other’s personal lives. The fact that both sisterhoods (the girls who came forward about being molested and the girls and the Sisterhood) were able to support each other to express their troubles, fears, and past trauma shows the benefits of a form of group therapy. The basis for the creation of both groups may be questionable but their overall power helped a lot of teenagers attempt to handle their problems instead of keeping them inside.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point. I liked how "Kandy Kane" reiterates this at the end; that regardless of Emily's motivation, she did create a forum that emboldened abuse survivors to speak out: breaking through a kind of "silence" that is all too pervasive.
DeleteIt seems as though TV shows set in earlier time periods catch on very quickly; partly because the absence of personal technology makes for more dynamic stories. Our "real lives" (where people are on phones and computers all the time) are rather boring if portrayed authentically in this way.
ReplyDeleteThe interesting thing I gathered from this film was that these girls were taking a vow of silence from social media, and because of that, these girls were perceived to be apart of a cult like group just because they were different from the norm and were not on social media. Social media has become such an integral part of today's society, and you are looked at differently if you are not on social media.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about this movie that got my attention was the fact that these girls all were assumed of being in a "cult" and bringing harm to the school. But meanwhile, the whole time the cyberbullying is coming from a girl who wants to be in the "cult". And then to further this point, the cyberbully becomes this girl who is looked up to by people throughout the community. The level of cyberbullying is taken to a whole new level with this film.
ReplyDelete