Throughout these articles I was enthralled. I grew up with the evolution of cyber security and more specifically the “protection of youth”. I quickly found that this wasn’t actual protection but instead was a sheltering from anything that was deemed unsavory by my parents. This is not to say that my parents were incorrect in their thoughts about the internet and how unsafe it can be, but rather that they wanted to shield me from a world that is not unwholly separate from the physical world that existed without the internet. The two concepts that I will be focusing on are that youth are searching for their own space and themselves on the internet and also that the internet is not dangerous in itself but is simply an extension of the world that we already live in.
The first concept, that the online world is not a separate entity, is clearly fleshed out in the readings. “Technology’s primary effect is to amplify human forces.” (Toyama, 2015) When technology is introduced it does not change what was already lurking in the peripheries it simply allows it to come out into the light. We also can reference previous readings by looking at "the ways human ends are powerfully transformed as they are adapted to technical means." (Winner, 1988) There is no doubt that technology allows for terrible and dangerous things to be spread quickly and without control, but they have to come from somewhere. “There is little doubt that technology inflects age-old issues in new ways” (Boyd, Marwick, Aftab, & Koe Maeve, 2009) but it is not about if the internet is dangerous but if we can protect children from people using the internet. “Children and teenagers face considerable risks in their everyday lives and need adult support as they navigate those risks, and information technologies have presented new possibilities for victimization and crime.” (Fisk, 2016) This does not exclude the everyday life of youth but encompasses it. Many people who did not grow up with technology in their lives do not see technology as a social activity but as work related materials. We can understand that “computers have appeared to many as an anti-social technology, as an intrusion of instrumental work life into the home.” (Fisk, 2016) This is not close to the truth. It connects youth to their friends, classmates, and people from all areas of the world. It is as fearful to some as the telephone once was. Just as my grandparents complained about youth not writing hand written letters my parents complain about people not writing emails anymore. The language that is “online” and not true English as even entered the everyday language of youth with pushback from the older generations. However, “If the Oxford English Dictionary is able to recognize the importance of these types of words in today’s culture, then millennials should be able to use them in informal situations without judgement.” (Beg, 2017) When we consider youth and how they use the internet we need to understand that when it comes to youth seeking out others and searching the internet for these more deviant people and beliefs “they are simply looking for spaces where they can socialize with one another.” (Fisk, 2016) I have read more articles than I can count on how millennials are ruining the way that “it” has always been done. More specifically, I read an article on how memes are connecting youth. It addressed internet slang is important because it creates an in group in which the speakers become exclusive. The article stated that “This creates a culture between teenagers that some question whether is acceptable or not.” (Beg, 2017) This is not a new concept or a new movement. If we didn’t have the internet, then the people in power would complain about something else about youth culture. It is in the nature of youth to seek their own truth and alternatives to the path set forth by their parents. “Those spaces that youth are allowed in without direct supervision are increasingly marked by technological surveillance, ranging from surveillance cameras to smartphone enabled GPS tracking.” (Fisk, 2016) Children and young adults are desperate to break free and find areas in which they can be themselves. These youth need to be taught about “correcting others, being open to being corrected oneself, and working together”. (Davidson & Goldberg, 2009) This is not to say that parents are incorrect in trying to limit the exposure of youth to negative influences and dangerous things. Fisk states, “Although adults usually do know best and youth typically want them to know best, there is value to having spaces where young people can learn lessons for themselves.” (Fisk, 2016) It is not about online and offline roles or rebellion. “The risk constituted around online sociality is that of failing to fully realize the potential offered by both information technologies and youth themselves” (Fisk, 2016) Works CitedBeg, A. (2017). BEG: Memes connect millennials and improve society. MarquetteWire. Boyd, D., Marwick, A., Aftab, P., & Koe Maeve, M. (2009). The conundrum of visibility. Journal of Children and Media. Davidson, C. N., & Goldberg, D. T. (2009). The future of learning institutions in a digital age. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Fisk, N. (2016). Framing internet safety. MIT Press. Toyama, K. (2015, June 4). Technology won't fix america's neediest schools. It makes bad education worse. The washington post. Winner, L. (1988). The Whale and the Reactor. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
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AuthorEllie E. Archives
November 2017
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