Discussion Questions
The Characters and Stories
Technology and Social Media
Technology and Social Media
Even if you are not pushed to extremes, do you relate to or have sympathy for any of the characters in the stories? Their situations, their feelings, their thoughts, their frustrations, their views on societal issues?
Although some of the situations may seem unrealistic, would you be shocked if you saw a real-world headline relating to an
Even if you are not pushed to extremes, do you relate to or have sympathy for any of the characters in the stories? Their situations, their feelings, their thoughts, their frustrations, their views on societal issues?
Although some of the situations may seem unrealistic, would you be shocked if you saw a real-world headline relating to any of the situations in the book?
Have you changed the way you view leadership, authority, and professionals considered to be "experts" in recent years?
Do any of the characters remind you of someone you know? A friend, relative, colleague, acquaintance, etc.?
Do you know or have you worked with leaders who impose rules or conditions which they do not apply to themselves? How do you view them?
Do you think we, as a society, are having complex discussions in order to effectively address complex issues or are all (or most) discussions inherently tainted by politics and narrow viewpoints?
Do you think we, as a society, have the capabilities of largely eradicating such problems as child hunger, deficient education, pollution, etc., but politics and societal divisions prevent us from doing so?
Technology and Social Media
Technology and Social Media
Technology and Social Media
How much time per day do you spend on social media sites?
How do you use social media sites? Communicating with friends, viewing posts, watching videos, etc.?
Are you ever away from your portable devices (cell phone, tablet, laptop, etc.)? "Away" references turning them off, silencing them, and/or separating them from your person so you c
How much time per day do you spend on social media sites?
How do you use social media sites? Communicating with friends, viewing posts, watching videos, etc.?
Are you ever away from your portable devices (cell phone, tablet, laptop, etc.)? "Away" references turning them off, silencing them, and/or separating them from your person so you cannot hear, feel, or immediately respond to an alert.
Do you turn off or silence your devices when you sleep? If so, do you still keep them in close proximity to you?
How do you feel when you are away from your devices?
Do you feel compelled to immediately check an alert from a device?
Do you feel the need to immediately respond to a message such as a text or equivalent form of messaging?
How do your contacts act when you don't respond to a message within a short time of receiving it? Do they message you again? Do they get mad? Do they get worried? Do they feel rejected or unimportant? Do they stop communicating with you?
How do your contacts' reactions regarding your response to messaging make you feel? Anxious that you must respond to them quickly? Fearful that you will lose them as friends if you don't respond quickly?
Do you feel the same about phone calls and voicemails as texts or equivalent messages?
Do you prefer to communicate via direct voice (talking) or through messaging? Why?
Do you prefer to learn about friends' activities by communicating with them one-on-one or through mass messaging? If one-on-one, do you prefer talk or text? If talk, do you prefer phone conversations or meeting in-person?
News Sources
Technology and Social Media
News Sources
How much time per day do you spend on news (watching on television, sites dedicated to news, and/or sites affiliated with a news channel or news publication)?
Where do you most often get your news (television, website, social media, friends, etc.)?
What type of news source do you feel is most reliable? Is it different from where you most o
How much time per day do you spend on news (watching on television, sites dedicated to news, and/or sites affiliated with a news channel or news publication)?
Where do you most often get your news (television, website, social media, friends, etc.)?
What type of news source do you feel is most reliable? Is it different from where you most often get your news?
Do you accept what you are told from a news source as fact? Do you question the information from your own perspective? Do you check it against another source?
Have you ever believed a news report as fact only to find out later that it was wrong, false, or significantly misleading? Did you still believe the report or "feel like" it was true even after learning of its inaccuracy?
Do you look for and/or notice words in news reports which indicate opinion or speculation instead of facts. For instance, words like "could, may, might" to identify conjecture as opposed to objectively factual reporting on past or ongoing events and information?
Have you noticed news which reports information accurately but selectively emphasizes information that promotes a particular position and/or agenda while downplaying or neglecting equally relevant information which conflicts with that predetermined position and/or agenda?