Case File

As Nova continued exploring life on Earth, she noticed that social media wasn’t just a place where students shared photos and videos; it had become a big part of how they connected with one another. During recess, classmates talked about funny clips they had watched the night before. After school, they shared videos, commented on each other’s posts, and kept up with the latest online trends.

One trend seemed to be everywhere.

Students were creating short “Hallway Interview” videos by filming classmates around the school and asking them quick, unexpected questions. The funniest answers often received the most likes, comments, and shares.

Nova watched several of the videos on PicShare. Some were silly. Some were surprising. Some had been viewed hundreds, even thousands, of times.

She thought they looked like a fun way to make people laugh.

One afternoon at recess, Nova noticed a small crowd gathered in the hallway. A group of students were filming another interview while their friends watched and cheered. One of Nova’s classmates waved excitedly. “Nova! Come over here!” Another student smiled and held up a phone. “We’re filming our next Hallway Interview Challenge!“

They explained that they had been trying to grow their PicShare account by posting funny interviews with students around the school. “Our last video got over 800 views!” “If this one does well, we might even go viral!“

Nova felt excited. She had never been part of a video that so many people might watch before. It sounded like fun, and she liked the idea of helping her friends create something entertaining. Without thinking much about it, she smiled and stepped in front of the camera.

“Ready?” the interviewer asked. Nova nodded. The phone began recording.

“First things first… what’s your name?” “I’m Nova!” she replied with a laugh.

The questions came quickly.

“Who’s your favourite teacher? “Who’s the funniest person in your class?” “Who’s most likely to become famous?”

Nova answered each question while the students behind the camera laughed and cheered. “This is so good!” “People are going to love this!“

Nova laughed too. She wanted to help her friends create a fun video, and it felt exciting knowing so many people might watch it. The more everyone cheered, the more she wanted to keep the interview going.

Then the interviewer paused for a moment before asking…

“Okay… here’s the big one. Who’s your least favourite teacher?”

Nova hesitated. She didn’t really want to answer. Part of her felt that the question wasn’t very kind.

Before she could think it through, the students around her started encouraging her. “Come on!” “Everyone answers this one!” “This is the question that gets the most views!” “Help us make this one go viral!“

Nova looked at the camera. She wanted to support her friends; she didn’t want to seem boring, and everyone else was laughing like it was just a joke.

So she answered. The students cheered, thanked her, and hurried away to upload the video.

At first, Nova didn’t think much about it. But by the next morning, the interview had spread around the school. Students she had never met were watching, commenting, and sharing the video. Some laughed at her answers, while others thought they were disrespectful. A few teachers had even heard about it.

Only then did Nova realize something she hadn’t thought about before.

The video didn’t just show her answers; it showed her face, her name, and her choices. Now, anyone who watched the video could connect those answers directly to Nova.

She hadn’t expected a funny trend to become part of her online identity or cause problems at school.

Feeling worried, Nova immediately sent an emergency transmission to you, her Digital Ambassadors.

“Digital Ambassadors, I thought I was just helping my friends make a fun video. I didn’t think about how many people would see it or that my answers would be connected to me. Why did it feel so hard to say no? How can I enjoy online trends without making choices I’ll regret later?”

Your Mission:

Help Nova make smart and responsible choices when joining online trends. You will explore how peer pressure and the desire for likes and views can influence our decisions, how videos and opinions can become part of our digital identity, and how to pause when something makes us uncomfortable.

Can you help Nova learn how to think before participating, protect her digital identity, speak up when she doesn’t want to answer, and make choices that reflect kindness and respect online?