Nicholas Carr explains that over time he has found that he can no longer keep his focus when reading a long book or article. He did a self-study on his online habits and found that because of the Internet he is having a harder time focusing on large amounts of text. He went out and asked a few of his friend, many of which are bloggers, and found that they were suffering from the same thing.
Studies had found that when online all media are mashed together. So when your reading a book online there are other mediums, like flashing ads, up-date “bings” from your email, pop-ups, etc., that distract you from the text. Unlike a physical book that you can read that is only filled with the author’s text from cover to cover.
Others have found that the way we think is changing because we don’t have to solve a problem or look up an answer by reading thought manuals, instructions, books or articles. We can go online, ‘Google’ our question and within seconds our answer appears; our brain is no longer having to work to find/learn the answers.
In the past most thought that our brains were fully developed by the time we were adults, where all the connections were made and co not be broken or changed. More recent studies have found that “the brain has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions,” according to James Olds (professor of neuroscience who directs the Karsno Institute for Advanced Study at Georgia Mason University), (Carr, 60).
Google’s initial goals as a company is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful…to develop the perfect search engine;” this search engine that “understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want,” (Carr, 62). I think that Google has succeeded and is the best search engine on the web today.
In the Internet world, Google’s World, “we go online, there’s little place for the fuzziness of contemplation…The human brain is just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive,” (Carr, 63). The faster we surf across the Web – the more links we click and pages we view – the more opportunities Google and other companies gain to collect information about us and to feed us advertisements. Most of the proprietors of the commercial Internet have a financial stake in collecting the crumbs of data we leave behind as we flit from link to link – the more crumbs, the better. The last thing these companies want is to encourage leisurely reading or slow, concentrated thought. It’s in their economic interest to drive us to distraction,” (Carr, 63).
Lastly, Carr says, “we lose those quite space, or fill them up with ‘content,’ we will sacrifice something important not only in our selves but in our culture,” (63).
I want to take a little portion of my last (class assignment) blog to say THANK YOU to Dr. Johnson for making class fun and a little different. Assigning us readings that we had to blog about through out the semester and for showing me a new way to communicate via Twitter. It was something I never thought I would try but after seeing all the positives to it I’m HOOKED! Looking forward to tweeting with you! Have a good holiday season!
For class we had to make a Video Essay. You may be asking, what is a Video Essay? It was described to me as thus: an essay, a written paper what was created by research, use of quotes and other references, the Video essay is to take the written part out and present your research by make a short video of your findings
This was a group project so as a group we chose Video Sites like YouTube, Hulu, and other sites that we devoted to video posting, viewing and streaming. We decided that they best way to get our information was to go out and ask the right kind of questions. So 2 members of our group went out to interview UTD students. We had fun (well I know I had fun… I hope the rest of my group did), they nicknamed me “The Whip” (I hope I wasn’t too controlling). Any way I hope you enjoy our Video Essay.
For my research/critical paper we had the option of choosing our own topic. I like and dislike this option because on the ‘like’ hand I can choose something I’m passionate about, therefore it shouldn’t feel like a paper, just something work intense with a reward in the end. On the ‘dislike’ hand getting to choose your own topic can be changing and you could easily choose something that is easy (which will make you look lazy to our teacher) or you can pick something challenging to show your NOT lazy but it could bit you in the butt because it’s too difficult.
So keep the statement above in mind. I bantered back and forth with a few ideas and I have finally decided. I am going to be researching the positive effects social media has on military recruiting. I will also cover the negative side of it all but I am very passionate about military, because of my grandparents, my boyfriend, a few of my friends (and their siblings) who have all join and have served or are still serving. I was one of those that really wanted to join right after high school. I hadn’t really applied to any universities, and my test scores were a bit lower than average (as to be accepted for a dyslexic and dysgraphic child). I had spoken with a recruiter; I had talked to my dad about it. I was ready to serve, and then I had to tell my mom my plans. She begged and pleaded and cried. I knew then that I would not just be giving up my life, I would be leaving my family and they would be so worried and my mother would never forgiver herself is something terrible would of happened to me. So I backed out, went to a community college for a few years then I ended up at UTD. I can’t lie that I have a “what if” always pestering me in the back of my mind but I have to look forward and I know in my heart that what I’m doing now is exactly what I want and I am so happy!
My boyfriend, Austin, served for 2 years in the U.S. Air Force, is always telling me stories of all the training he had to do, what he was taught, how much he wished he could go back, but of his knee he cant. He is so passionate about it all; he gives real and positive advice to those that want to serve or those that just thought they might want to serve. Because of Austin I have become more passionate about my chosen topic.
What I want people to get out of my paper is that Social Media does have an effect on those that join the military, but to also remember that social media has an effect on almost everything we do today. I want to show people, especially those that don’t want their sons and daughters to join, that it’s a great honor and a mature choice to make. Of course there is always going to be a negative side but I want those that always see the negative to, at least, acknowledge the positive.
This episode on FRONT LINE is a follow up of Growing Up Online, broadcasted 2007. Digital Nation hit many key points, as did Growing Up Online, so in today’s blog I’m only going to commit about a few topics that caught my interests.
Stanford has been doing research about how we multitask by using brain-imaging scans. Results have proves that multitaskers are poor at every task they do, they are unable to think clearly which means that every task they working on while ‘multitasking’ is not getting 100% of the person’s attention meaning that the task, when completed, is poor, ‘half-ass,’ terrible.
Another study was done with students; children spend about 50 hours a week with digital media. This is causing an effect, which shows children’s brain activity is small, small = better?!?!?! It seems that children and long-term use of digital media is a good thing when it comes to looking at a brain activity scan. Their activity level quality is better than a child that doesn’t use digital media.
In Asia there is digital revolution taking place. In South Korea they are called Internet cafe; a place where there are multiple computers connected to the Internet, a computer’s main used in this kind of setting is for online gaming.
A 15-year-old boy was interviewed for this segment. His mother believes he as an addition to the Internet, it as been diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder. His grades were dropping because of his excessive gaming. His mother said he is unable to communicate with her because he is so invested in his games, he doesn’t even sit at the table to eat dinner with her. There are free rescue camps, where this 15-year-old boy is sent, to treat physical damage that is caused by excessive gaming (like eye strain, and hearing problems). The camp gives children no access to a computer or the Internet, so in they’re ‘free-time’ children are to play outside, this is suppose to help them “connect with their childhood”
In American schools, children (as young as 2nd graders) are taught to go online with “healthy Internet Habits.” They are taught Ethics, Etiquette, and Manners while online, these studies will branch forward to teaching children about the technical aspects of the Internet. One teachers said, “education [has changed, and now] has a different purpose…technology is like oxygen.”
The last topic I wanted to touch on is how media is being used to help our military vets recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Studies (in the VHI Lab) have concluded that the human brain cannot differentiate from the real or virtual world(s). This information has been transformed into a therapy for military veterans. As part of their therapy they emerge themselves into a virtual world, in combat, where gun shots and bombs and other dangers seem like a real threat, but because it’s a virtual world the user suffering from PTSD has control of the situation and knows that he/she can not be physical harmed in this world. PTSD suffers can learn how to control their flashbacks, and cope with the stress, that will hopefully allow them to recover.
I love TED presentations. They are so cool!
This one was so interesting, Clay Shirky, explains how Social Media is making and changing history as well as changing the ways people communication between others.
Shirky says that Internet is the next revolution; it is “many-to-many.” This means that many people can reach out and communicate and share with many other people. Unlike in the past before the Internet, for example the phone is a one-to-one where one person contacts one person. A few other examples are the radio, public papers (newspapers and pamphlets), books, and television which is an all many-to-one. Many people, writers, speakers, and actors/directors can reach out and inspire, share, and communicate with one or a singly person at a time. Shirky says that the “Internet is a mash up of all technologies…everything from our past can be found online – everything is mashed up and next door to each other.” He is so right! I can make calls (for free) to anyone in the world from my computer, I can listen to the radio and watch TV shows and movies from my computer, I can read newspapers and books from my computer and I am able to do all those things at the same time if I wanted to.
“The Internet is still changing after 20 years [and] becoming more social,” says Shriky. He uses China’s more recent and deathly Earthquake to explain this statement. The news about China’s Earthquake spread faster than news has ever traveled before, and it was spread by the people of China not the news reporters. The horrible news was spread from person-to person my texting, posting, and tweeting. Civilians were sending images of the damage to Facebook and Twitter and through text messages, which lead to the spread of the news via the Internet and Social Media. The Chinese government learned about the Earthquake from its citizens. With in the first hour of the quake if you search for the Top Ten links sent/shared (in the world) you would of seen 8 of them links to China’s Earthquake and other sites like the US Geological Survey. Only a half a day later donations sites popped up everywhere. After the earthquake protests broke out because civilians found that the school buildings were not built to code and collapses during the quake killing hundreds of children. Protesters used social media to spread the word and get more followers. The Chinese Government now has to make a difficult decision. They have to choose to open all gateways to the Internet or shut the Internet down completely. They have to act because the Internet is full of new (amateur) news that is becoming harder and harder to filter and the Chinese government can no longer handle it all.
Shirky moves on to Obama’s campaign site. Where millions of people rushed to support him then he changed his view on a particular point and his supporters disagreed with him. They made a new site that was agents Obama’s view. These, now angry and disappointed, supporters realized that Obama never shut down the site; he didn’t try to hid what the supporters had posted on his site. Shriky called this example, “Mature use of Media,” where Obama convened with the supporters and did not control these supporters.
The TED presentation ended with Shirky explaining that “[the Internet] is a way of creating an environment for convening and supporting groups.” With that information Shirky asks, “How can we make best use of this media?”
Both articles were interesting reads. “How Obama Tries to Win Twitter…” didn’t surprise me. He should be trying to find new ways to connect to the public. He used Facebook and other social medias to get elected so I think it’s only right that he keeps adapting and growing with new medias to make his presence more known. He made history by being the first President to Tweet Live. He has been using Twitter to communicate with his followers by answer questions that are posted/sent in his Twitter page. In the article he answers many questions seems to have fun with it. The end of that article brings up a good point. Is this a good idea? Is it a good think that there is no longer a filter between the White House and the direct public? The reading says that there is not transparency any more; when news from the White House and about the President needed to be shared to the public it went through a filter when posted in newspapers. They would only share what they thought the public wanted to hear and what would make their papers sell. In today’s new world of communicating directly with the public, Obama could answer something incorrectly, have miss spellings, etc Which in turn would make him look like a idiot, and the public would loose all care and hope. On the other side being able to directly answer questions gives the public an answer, shows us that Obama is a real person, really cares about what we want and need. Back the negative; does Obama really know who is asking the questions? A user may be see at @coolJoe which could be a older man that thinks his hip because he can use Twitter, a college student who is interested in politics, a young kid that is asking questions for his mother (who doesn’t know how to type), or it could be something much worse like the enemy over seas. Noting that the president would answer any questions that would compromise US security. I think I’m trying to say is that because there is no filter, Obama and the White House can make mistakes and it could only be one and we all could be in danger.
So what do I want to do? I don’t want Obama answering questions on his own; he should have a team helping him, the same kind of team that writes his speeches. I do want Obama to keep using Twitter and other Social Medias; I just hope that he takes ever percussion. But at the same time I DO NOT want the White House illegally searching our Twitter pages (if you have them on Private) to find out who we really are… I don’t want this to become something that it doesn’t need to be; I don’t want US rights to be broken.
The second article, ” Infogrphic…” was a ‘fun’ article. I didn’t have much written text (traditionally) but I was a fun graph (I guess you would call it) filled with percentages and stats, and other fun facts about who is using Twitter, how often they are using it, and why.
Who is using Twitter, How Often, and Why?
I think this image from the reading can explain it’s self. Again I found it fun and I loved all the small facts that I learned.
So if you think back to Obama trying to use Twitter to reach his followers and the public. Who is he really reaching? If only 8% of the US population is on Twitter… are we really talking back, asking questions? Is Obama really trying to connect with EVERYONE or just those that ask questions through Twitter?
These were two short readings, starting with “Who Uses Facebook and Why?” talks mainly about SNS’s, Social Network Sites. It says that 1 our or 3 Americans have and use Facebook. Studies have also found that children and teens do not always use Facebook, older people do use the site but Facebook is geared toward younger people. The reading talked about the Digital Drive, DD, which is a division between those who do and those who don’t have effective access to digital communications (i.e. lack of a computer, internet connection, computer skills, etc). This reading also talked about how SNS could be used as a tool to help promote a more balanced use of information through ‘pages.’ Which is something I have talked about in class and a topic that comes up a few of my other classes. SNS are also growing and are making a bigger gap between those that are more privileged to those who are less fortunate. In hope that SNS, like Facebook, will empower less privileged groups and expose people to others, new ideas, and new opinions. If Facebook is a tool that will help us connect we can learn more about things that are as close as our community or on the other side of the world. SNS also make it easier to communicated with anyone and everyone, it is a communication network.
The second reading, “A Reply to Facebook Critics,” explains how people use and interact with Facebook. It starts off with saying, “the things on Facebook are really pretty meaningless. Not that they can’t have meaning, but simply that they don’t. Or, at least, they don’t until we get our collective hands on them,” (top of pg xxii). I thought this made an excellent point. An example that was used in the reading was the “poke” a thing you do on Facebook, but why? What does it mean? Is it “someone trying to communicate with [you],” is it “a non-verbal ‘hello’,” or a flirty “kind of game of poke-and-poke-back,” or “can it be a reminder” from one friend to another (pg xxxii)? “How are we going to decide what has value and meaning in the world?” (pg xxiii) The reading also talks about why we post things that are not important, in the section called “why I Care about Your Sandwich,” and it explains that I would care about what your having for dinner because I care about what I’m having. “Not because it’s important , or meaning, or noteworthy, but because I’m viewing it from the inside,” (pg xxvii). This reading concludes with questions; “Is Facebook a…waste of time? …Are people [a waste of time]? Is friendship?” “None cab be without our caring investment in the members of your own personal communities-by choice, by circumstance, or by birth,” (pg xxx).
Interesting discussion, I found that I agree with everything that is said in these readings. I see Facebook as a social place to communicate, network, and promote yourself or a company. I can see how those with computers are more ‘privileged’ than those without. It makes since that those with out are not relieving the same kind of commutations with a worldwide audience. I’m also realistic and know that the world will have equality, there always has to be some with more power or ‘privilege’ than others.
The second article really got me thinking. When I first started using Facebook I was one of those people that posted everything about my day, what I had to eat, What I was going (even if it was watching TV, doing homework, cleaning litter boxes, etc.). Now that I’m in college and having real conversations and discussion with others on Facebook and Twitter I find that I’m posting things are would be more interesting like a YouTube video I watched in my class, an article I read of homework or pressure that really inspired me. When I see posts like, “Dinner time…chicken pasta!” I just ignore it. I have gotten to the point where I really don’t care what you are eating (unless you made it yourself and you have a picture, that I may want to see), but over all I rather read something you are truly interested in or something that you did that was out of your norm.
What an experience! I was not a Twitter fan at the beginning of this semester, after being required by two of my professors to tweet about class topics and other social media news, I grew to love Twitter and soon became a love-tweeting-bird. Twitter has so many good qualities, a long with a few not so good ones, but so does everything in our life. Twitter is something new that is sculpting a new way for our society to connect and communicate.
A few questions I was asked before writing this paper were; “What do I like about Twitter,”“Did I learn anything from this experiment,” and “Is Twitter a useful tool that will help shape something new for society?” Starting with the first question, what do I like about Twitter? I love how fast and instant posts and replies can be added and read. I have found that I will get more attention to my post, which lately have related to social media and communications in/with technology, can be spread out and viewed by everyone, unlike my small group of Facebook friends where only a handful would read my post and out of that small handful even fewer would post a comment to my post. Twitter, unlike so many communications sites today, has a simple layout that is very user-friend, although it does take a few tweets of practice to get the hang of the lingo; it thrives on simplicity
Did I learn anything from Twitter? Yes, I think I did. It’s opened my eyes to a different side of social media. I used to think that LinkedIn and Facebook were the definitions of social media, but Twitter has a different kind of social media to offer. The bottom line is to share everything with everyone, to communicate and interact with everyone. The CEO of Twitter, Dick Costolo (@dickc), says, “[Twitter] needs to be water. [Water is] instantly useful. It’s simple. I don’t have to re-learn how to use water,” he told the audience. “It’s always present” (Twitter Is Like Running Water). I think that Twitter is well on its way to becoming ‘water,’ it has the simplicity that I mentioned above. It’s so easy, almost too easy, and I think that is why some find it so foreign. The idea of having something that is super duper simple blows peoples mind in today’s world. Twitter also taught me how you can use it as a tool to promote yourself as well as a product or company. I do when I see cool deals like @s_hardey “Great Deal” from Groupon or LivingSocial (posted on Oct. 12, 2011).
Is Twitter a useful tool? How will it change our society, our way of life? When you weigh pros and cons, which I think everyone should do on their own because every person will get something different from Twitter, you will see that Twitter is a useful tool. A tool that is used to communicate, share, ask questions, relay news, post stories and links to support other stories, used as a research device, and its a place to promote people, business, and companies. I honestly can see Twitter growing in our society. Because of Twitters simple layout, and simple idea in ways of communication make it easy for all users, no mater their age or technical skill, to post and talk about topics. It give everyone the opportunity to be involved. Twitter is growing like wild fire, like so many other popular social medias (i.e. MySpace and Facebook). The Internet changed they way we worked and the way we lived, then computers because more popular, laptops make work portable, then phone didn’t have to be attached to a cord, then cell phone became mini computers. All the while social media sites were born, lived, died and new ones were born and are adapting to survive (i.e. Facebook and Google+). Twitter part of that growing path that technology has been following this increasing trend of becoming part of our daily lives. For me Twitter has connected me to lots of my peers in the ATEC (Art and Technology) and EMAC (Emerging Media in Communications) programs at UTD, and it’s also connected me to few people that work in Marketing with Social Media and other technologies; to name a few: @jmh0p, @MarkTayl0r, @Jameshutto, and @SheltonSchool. I have been able to use Twitter to contact my teachers asking questions about assignments, giving them the heads up when their sites have errors or when a post is missing, or even when my computer crashed and I need to get an emergency extension for a class presentation (@Janetnews and @emacdave). I hope that more of my teachers will be using Twitter in my future classes. It really helps keep the class discussion going hours after the class has been dismissed. For one of my classes we are encouraged to tweet during class about the presentations only a few minutes in others join the conversation and to give their own opinions and feedback about the topic. It’s really fun!
I finally want to add a few things that really surprised me during this experience. First, I fell in love with twitter. I was agents it in the beginning, not really seeing Twitter’s worth and thinking that it was just a place with lots of dump post about what people were doing like “eating dinner w x-bf WTF”, “watching TV…Zzzzz”, “talking the dog for a walk”, “I hate math K”, etc. I was surprised to fine all the connections and information posted by news stations or links posted by people I follow that lead to interesting topics and in-depth conversations (via Twitter). I didn’t think I would really get use to tweeting about my classes, discussing my reading assignments with my professors as well as other classmates in a free space outside of class. Second, I heard that most of the people on Twitter are not young college kids they are older adults who use Twitter as a new feed, a research tool, and a place to promote themselves and their business, said by @BigDNyeBooker when she came to UTD as a guest speaker. I hope that classes like mine will change that so more young people get involved and use Twitter as tools to make their own lives richer with information and to promote their creativity (I’m talking to all the ATEC and EMAC and other Art students out there). The third thing that really got my attention is how everyone on Twitter ‘speaks’ the same ‘lingo’. I know that not everyone speaks/types English and that is not what I mean by ‘lingo.’ It’s just so amazing to me that after a little practice (for me it was my 5 first tweets or so) you pick up on how posts are written. I learned that Hash Tags (#) are my favorite tool in a post, followed by URL links, and Twitter User ID/Names, and if you can use all 3 then your sure to have a post that is viewed my many and hopefully re-tweeted so even more can see. Once I realized that Twitter was not a place for me to post commits about my every day social and student life (like some do on Facebook), I could really saw all the wonderful things that Twitter has to offer and what Twitter is willing to share with me. You have to open up a little and let Twitter become a part of you routine. You have to be proactive to be heard, and I think in doing so you become more confident in what you posting and by getting feedback from others you gain more knowledge, and it’s always a good idea to look through the eyes of another and see their point of view. I want to say a be “THANK YOU” to Dr. Johnson and Dr. Parry for requiring me to have a Twitter account this semester. In the future, after this semester, I plan on keeping my Twitter, and possibly adding another ID for more personal use to broadcast my work as a photographer, and talk to recruiters for future dream jobs in the ATEC and EMAC industries.
These two short video clips hit a lot of topics. Henry Jenkins was the first one I watched. This video Jenkins was talking about a transition between old and new media in to day’s society. He talked about “Converging Culture,” which is a collection of people that have found ways to share and communicate their stories, ideas, opinions, and advertise. One of the most successful exams of this is in entertainment, movies; the other example is Pres. Obama’s election campaign. Jenkins also said that George Orwell was right with this book, 1984, by saying there would be a Big Brother watching us. What Orwell didn’t know is that Little Brother would be watching Big Brother. Little Brother is you and me (everyone), every day people that contribute photos, videos, ideas, and opinions to the Internet make it easier for the public as well as Big Brother to watch you. Jenkins quickly concludes by saying that we live in a digital world, which gives us the ability to tell our story to everyone.
In the second YouTube video “The New Media Literacies,” talked about the skills that are needed to use the Internet, to be connected and to be a part of the Internet society. Some of the skills the defined were: Judgment, Negotiation, Appropriation, and Play. Judgment is knowing what is and what isn’t reliable on the Internet; what you read isn’t always true. Negotiation is knowing how to inter different social groups and understand different norms with in a group. Appropriation is knowing how to sample/remix content in a meaningful way. Play is your compassion to experiment with your soundings as a form of problem solving. The video also mentioned a few other skills like Transmedia Navigation, Simulation, Collective Intelligence, Performance, Distributed Cognition, Visualization, and Multitasking, these skill were not defined.
It is amazing to me to see all the skills needed to use and connect to the Internet. Because I am a Digital Native I grew up natural having all these skills, it’s my second nature. If I look to my mom, who grew up on a farm with out any digital connection to the outside world, I see a person that is Internet illiterate. She struggles with understanding how sites work, how to navigate/explore, and play. She has finally learned how to text and send emails but there are so much more the Internet has to offer. She loves looking at photos of my family, who live over seas, and I know she would love to learn how to use Skype and Facebook so she could chat and share with our family. I do believe those skills can be learned. For those that are learning, I think the first thing to learn is how to open you view to be more creative, be free minded, and understand that the Internet is NOT a physical object(s).
I can also see Jenkins point where Obama would of never been elected president if it wasn’t for Social Media, the connection he made through Facebook, Twitter, etc. He used and still uses the Internet to promote himself. The white house and other politicians also use social media sites (SMS) to promote themselves, their ideas, opinions, goals, etc. They get followers who will hopefully vote for them when election time came.
Little Brother is watching Big Brother. The people are watching and contributing to the Internet (Big Brother). We, people, are taking photos, watching and talking about people we see, things we do, we are blogging, talking, sharing, comparing, uploading, downloading, streaming, scanning, reading, watching, listening, editing, discussing, viewing, and exploring. We are contributors to everything on the web. As an example, Facebook, wouldn’t be worth billions of dollars today if people didn’t log in, share, post, and ‘friend’ people. People make the site valuable and people are now a part of the digital world. They can be viewed/watched by Big Brother and the public (unless you have changed your settings).
This story was a little old, but still relevant to today’s world. Young teens are growing up in the new “wild west” called the Internet. The Internet is a place where parents have little to no control and where some keep personal secrets while others become bullies and expose them. The story takes place in a small town in a small high school, where students live for Myspace, parents don’t have control, and where some teachers adapt while other do not. A teacher, older, who had been teaching for a long time, said that she has noticed that her students are unable to focused when they are away from technology, it’s very hard for students to ‘live’ with out technology. Another teacher adds that he knows his students are cheating and he finds this to be acceptable. In his class he has adapted to the use the computer and the Internet as tools for his students to keep them engaged in the class topics. He realizes that in this new age of technology students that don’t know the answers look them up, it’s the new way of learning and gathering more information about a subject.
Students gave their feed back about what they like about Myspace. Most said it was a way for them to become more connected with friends at school. Others said it was a game to see who could get the most friends the fastest. While others said was an escape to be someone else, and a hellhole for those that couldn’t get away from the abuse. Most of the ‘normal’ kids said they are addicted, they are online all the time, they post photos to get more commits, they would post commits on each other’s walls, that it was just fun to talk to people. Most seemed to understand “stranger danger” even though many parents still saw it as a threat. Surprisingly, studies show that, many young Myspace users and IMers know to block or delete people they don’t know that ask about personal information (like their address, or what they are wearing).
The Front Line story covered a sub-story about a young girl (she was 14yrs old at the time) who was seen as a freak at school, never fitting in, never accepted as who she was. She created a different personality for herself, she called her self Autumn Edows. She became famous through Myspace. She was free from all the insecurities and she finally fitted in to a world. The photos she has posted made her look like a porn start, in her underwear, and after the principle found out her mother made her delete every single things about Autumn Edows off her computer. She was nothing again.
Another story is a more popular one. It’s about Ryan Halligan, a young boy that sadly committed suicide because of the cyber bullying. According to Ryan’s friends he was bullied at school and teased online. In this new world of young people always having to be connected to the Internet, Ryan had no neither escape nor break from the abuse. He was open with his dad about the bulling in the lunchroom and even learned how to fight by this father, John Halligan. After Ryan’s unexpected death, John went online (logged in as his son) and tried to find out what happened. After getting bashed by many people who thought he was playing a disrespectful prank, John found that his son was being bullied online every day. It was the last straw for Ryan when he was heartbrokenly embarrassed when a girl he liked said she had a crush on him (online) and then at school she humiliated him by telling everyone it was a big joke and she didn’t like him at all. John and his family are still heartbroken over what happened to Ryan, but John has taken action and now is a traveling speaker at school across the country to open the eyes of students that cyber bullying is a real thing, it really hurts and if they speak up and tell an adult the bullies will find there are consequences for their actions.
Every single one of the stories shared in this Front Line story didn’t surprised me at all. I can understand a parent’s fear of not having control and not knowing what their child is doing on the Internet. It’s a different world for them, they grew up in a completely different world with strict discipline and always doing what they were told, and working hard for what they wanted. In today’s world children, teens, and young adults rule, in some since. They have more control over their social lives, they have more opportunities to learn in new ways and they have a free space to express their emotions as well was listen to others and connect to thousands.
s_hardey22 