Growing up online

PBS's Frontline: growing up online

After watching that video, I can see how it is more important than ever for parents and teachers to be computer literate. So many are not, and it isn't a mystery why. The issue is time. Kids have a lot of free time, but their parents do not. Naturally, a device that lets kids interact with their friends (or strangers with similar interests) without leaving their home is going to have a strong appeal.

I read Paul's entry on this topic and he brings up an interesting point about "e-mail muscles." Basically, he says that people online tend to flex muscles and be more aggressive with words than they would be face to face with someone. It is easier to yell at a computer screen with your fingers than it is to yell at a person with your voice and deal with their response in real time. Online communication allows true one way conversations to take place. This is impossible face to face, because in a two person conversation, even if one does all the talking, the other is still "communicating" non-verbally.

However, Jimmy also brings up a good point in His Blog when he says that the video focuses way too much on the negatives of the internet. I agree with him that parents are responsible for educating their kids about how easy it is to find personal information online and what needs to stay off of the internet. The way some teenagers use the internet is certainly problem, but the solution is not as elusive as you'd think. As a society, we just need to educate kids about what they should and should not do on the internet.