When I was growing up, my parents, grandparents and
relatives were always telling me to keep in touch. At that time, keeping in touch meant by phone
(land line) or by mail. There was no way that I was going to spend my precious
time sitting down and writing letter, or even calling someone unless I was
making plans with a friend. My news worthiness involved the television and
whatever I happen to pick up from school. And not to mention having to do
research for a school project which involved dusting off those old
encyclopedias or going to the local library. In any case, whether it was school
work or just making sure your family knew you still existed, it was a major
effort and could be very time consuming.
Technology today has changed all that through the internet,
social media and networking. It has become as easy as a swipe of an app and you
have checked in or updated relatives and friends on your immediate status. Many
teenagers have become more and more dependent, obsessed or even addicted to
these social networking sites. Mobile voice and text communication, Instant
Messaging (IM), blogging, and social networking offer youth a variety of ways
to connect with their friends, loved ones and even special interest groups.
Typically, young people use these new media technologies to maintain existing
friendships rather than start new ones.
MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube just to name a few, have become the
source of communication for this now generation. Teenage girls seem to have
taken to the blogospheres more so than boys. I really don’t fine this
surprising due to the fact more girls keep a diary or journal of thoughts than
do boys. However, according to one of our
readings this week, a study was conducted among teenage girls aged 17 to 21 who
have been blogging for three or more years. It showed that girls use this
avenue for self-expression and peer interaction. It also stated that you can
see the progression of personality in these young teens. Over the years the
context of their blogs changes as they convert from adolescents into adulthood.
I was troubled the other day when I received a phone call
from a friend who follows this blog. She stated that a young girl in her
daughter’s high school class had used YouTube to create a suicide message. This
was a very sad and unexpected response as her pervious social media activities
showed that she was a bright, happy teenager that posted pictures with friends
and even maintained a “makeup channel” on YouTube. However, she decided to take
to the same medium to capture her thoughts before she decided to end her life.
The video was a heart-shattering look into her struggle with depression and
anxiety. On her decision to commit suicide, she said, “I just don’t see how
this is a bad idea,” and described it as the difference between deciding to
jump from a burning building or staying in it and dying “a slow, excruciating
death.” “I’ve been like this for so
long,” she said, “and there’s still a chance that the worst day might be coming.”
Not saying that social media had anything to do with the
tragedy of this young girl, but it does introduce the question, why did she
feel compelled to utilize this venue to record her intentions? I agree that it is appropriate for adults to
question the possible effects of networked communication on youths’ cognitive
and social development. When a young adolescent put their lives on display it
opens a door to anyone who wants to comment on that person’s individuality. For
those focused on the action of self-identity and display, online risks may
arise from their willing, sometimes naïve, self-display of personal information
to a wide circle of contacts, not all of whom are close friends.
However there is an advantage for those children/teenagers
who may not be comfortable being part of a group. Through social networks they
can now participate in groups that peak their interest, by simply logging in
and being engaged. Through an expanded network, children tend to be more
involved and not limited to social activities within their local community.
Social networking and technology opens the door for many individuals to find
other youth that share their same interest and goals which helps to foster
their individual identities. Schools have successfully integrated social
networking to help bridge the gaps and challenges they may have in offering certain
academic activities or classes. Some classrooms have even joined forces with
other classroom in an entirely different country to help with cultural
diversity.
We know that social media, networking and technology are now
part of our daily lives and will only continue to grow in its dominance of how
we communicate. It is important that as parents we understand that children
need to be socialized in a way that does not include internet activity. Parents
should consider limiting social networking and technology in childhood to allow
for proper brain development of social, emotional and behavioral skills.
Encourage activities that support traditional media along with social media.
When properly monitored, these activities can enhance our lives instead of
hindering our children’s development and growth.
References
Davis, K. (2010). Coming of Age Online: The Developmental Underpinnings of
Girls’ Blogs. Journal of Adolescent Research.
doi:10.1177/0743558409350503
Huang, E. (2009). The Causes of Youths' Low News Consumption and
Strategies for Making Youths Happy News Consumers. Convergence: The
International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 15,
105-122. doi:10.1177/1354856508097021
Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content
creation: teenagers' use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and
self-expression. New Media & Society, 10, 393-411.
doi:10.1177/1461444808089415
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