Some people say that social media is a waste of time and is just a distraction, but others believe it can be very helpful. However, the positive affects of social media in the school can be very surprising to some people. The negative thoughts about social media coming from people can be because they don’t necessarily understand it. Granted, some users abuse the power that was made for good, but the good outweighs the bad here at Alliance High School.

The famous social media website, Facebook, has been around for quite a few years and has helped clubs and organizations communicate more efficiently. Facebook has also been slowly dying. Twitter is taking over the world of social media, and there is a wide variety of clubs taking advantage of this new way of communication. Our very own student paper, the SPUD (@ahsthespud), the Dawg Pound (@ahsdawgpound), the volleyball team (@AllianceSpikers), and even the AHS staff are using this tool. The school is not the only ones operating Twitter accounts to keep the students as well as the teachers updated, the City of Alliance (@CityOfAlliance) and the Alliance Police Department (@AllianceNePD) are joining in on the sharing.

Dr. Troy Unzicker, the Superintendent of Schools, was asked about the positive side of social media he said that social media is a good tool if used properly. It’s amazing “how quickly you can get mass amount of information.” Dr. Unzicker himself is an avid tweeter himself and uses this tool to notify students of heat schedules, snow days, and other important information. Students are very grateful for this; instead of listening to rumors that might not be true. He believes that if used properly it could help the students and sponsors of various clubs excel and get information out more effectively. The websites Twitter and Facebook are not blocked due to board policy, but the school board instead trusted Dr. Unzicker to chose when and if the websites are unblocked in the school buildings. When the student body is educated to use these tools properly, the websites will be unblocked. Some students don’t have the self-control to only use these tools as a positive resource. For the students that would continue to abuse these, the school would have to “find ways for consequences.”

Regardless of the blocked websites, the social media has already put a positive spin on school. Whether there are announcements from Dr. Unzicker, updates from the game, or just an announcement from a club sponsor, social media’s positive side benefits everyone.