Readers Response #4 “Growing Up Online”

The video “Growing Up Online” attempts to give us some insight into the world of social media and how the internet and its uses have changed since it first originated. According to this video, the lives of our youth have been changed by things like MySpace and Facebook and have become open and out there for pretty much anyone to see. Through social networking we can talk to each other almost anywhere anytime and always have the latest on one another’s lives. We can see things like who’s in a relationship and what moods our friends are in. In many ways social networking is a very extension of the clicks and friend groups in schools today and many young people admit that they would hardly be able to survive without it. Some would even go so far as to say that our fast paced culture powered by inventive technology is killing our ability to concentrate and think analytically. The sense of privacy we once had in our society is all but lost and many teenagers feel that they can really only truly be themselves through things like Facebook and MySpace. “Growing Up Online” states that despite what many parents think, the real danger involved with social networking isn’t sexual predators and in fact most kids know to stay away from strangers online (especially those asking for personal information). The main problem with social networking is what Rachel Dratzin calls “Cyber Bullying”. Kids often bully other kids via social networking and say things to them that they wouldn’t say in person because “online you can say anything”, it makes it hard for a kid to ever have any sort of safe haven from bullies if they come home from school and the torment and taunting persists over the internet. Cyber Bullying is no laughing matter and has caused kids to become depressed and even commit suicide. Our new era of technology is effecting us in more areas than just one though. Students today are far more capable when it comes to working with technology and while older generations struggle with computer skills, its mostly second nature for young people today.

I think the internet has had a huge effect on my life and will continue to do so for as long as I live. In my opinion the biggest thing in my life affected by the internet is my education. In our society today everything is done online, even my teachers would sooner refer me to a website then tell me to go read a book. If I want to learn about history I don’t go to the library, I just look it up online. If I need help with my algebra the first thing I do is check the hotmath website for answers. But the best example of how the internet has effected my schooling is my English class at Whatcom. The teacher posts all our assignments and articles we’ve read on the schools website and often gives us feedback on our essays via internet video. We even post all our readers responses on a blog for all our peers to see. It all seems perfectly normal to me because the internet has always been a part of my life. But when I think about older generations and how different things were for them, it makes me realize how fast the world is really changing.