Digital Smarts - Social Media and “Bro Culture”

While social media has certainly helped fuel a set of behaviors dubbed "bro culture", it is also helping to stop its spread.  In the wake of recent accounts of sexual harassment and assault of women in the tech industry, a spotlight has been placed on “bro culture” which has become synonymous with the dangerous normalization of sexual objectification, harassment, assault and homophobia. In a recent article in The New York Times, author Ana Homayoun looks at the phenomenon online and shares information about several programs that aim to teach healthy behaviors to youth. One violence prevention program called Green Dot had more than a 50 percent reduction in the self-reported frequency of sexual violence and bullying by high school students. The program works with students to shift responsibility from victims to bystanders. Teaching young people that members of a community look out for one another may help reduce the spread of bro culture and other kinds of bullying, advises Homayoun.