MODULE 5 EPORTFOLIO

Indignity and Technology

Social Media and Self-Representation

Do you think social media allows for positive self-representation in youth?

Yes, I think social media can allow youth to represent themselves in positive ways. Young people can use platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to share their interests, culture, identities, accomplishments, and experiences. This can be especially meaningful for youth who may not always see themselves represented positively in traditional media.

Social media can give young people more control over how they tell their own stories instead of allowing other people to make assumptions about who they are. This can also be a way for Indigenous youth to share their cultures, languages, traditions, and perspectives with others.

The NCCIE emphasizes the importance of sharing Indigenous stories and connecting communities, which relates to how social media can provide opportunities for people to share their own experiences and challenge stereotypes. At the same time, I think there are challenges because social media can create pressure to present a certain version of yourself.

I believe it is important for youth to have opportunities to represent themselves authentically rather than feeling like they have to fit a certain image or expectation.

What other lingering questions might you have about self-representation, challenging stereotypes, and assumptions?

One question I still have is how can we make sure that social media actually gives young people the opportunity to tell their own stories instead of creating new pressures about how they should represent themselves?

I also wonder how much social media can actually change people’s stereotypes and assumptions. For example, if someone has already developed a certain idea about Indigenous Peoples, will seeing Indigenous youth sharing their own experiences online challenge that belief, or will people continue to interpret what they see through their existing assumptions?

I also think it is important to ask who gets heard online and whose voices are still being overlooked. Social media can give people a platform, but not everyone has the same access, audience, or influence.

These questions make me think that challenging stereotypes requires more than simply seeing different people represented online. It also requires listening to people’s experiences, being willing to question our own assumptions, and allowing people to define themselves rather than having others define them.

Revitalization of Indigenous Languages

Journal Reflection: Language, Culture, and Identity

Language is an important part of cultural identity because it carries stories, traditions, history, and knowledge from one generation to the next. From my own experience, I understand how language can help people feel connected to their family, culture, and sense of belonging.

Learning and speaking another language has shown me that language is more than just a way of communicating; it can shape how we understand the world and connect with other people. This has made me think differently about the importance of Indigenous languages and the impacts of colonization, residential schools, and other policies that attempted to take Indigenous languages and cultures away from Indigenous Peoples.

When a language is lost, it can also mean losing important cultural knowledge and connections to the land and community.

In my school and community, I have seen some efforts to include and revitalize Indigenous languages, but I think there is still much more that can be done.

For example, schools could create more opportunities for students to learn local Indigenous languages through regular lessons, signs, books, songs, and activities, while working respectfully with local Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and language speakers.

In my area, learning about the Ktunaxa language is an important way to build awareness and respect for the Nation whose traditional territory we live and learn on. I think language education should be prioritized because revitalization is not only about preserving words; it is about supporting culture, identity, relationships, and the continuation of knowledge for future generations.

As a future teacher, I think it is important that I create opportunities for students to learn about and respect Indigenous languages in meaningful and authentic ways rather than treating them as something that is only discussed occasionally.