Living and Learning with New Media
For today's class I asked my ENGL 101 students to read Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project. I also asked them to remark on "issues" (prophetic, accurate, "good", "bad", whatever) they may have had with the piece. Most of the students are 17 or 18 years old and were in the researchers' target demographic when the study was conducted. My students' remarks follow...
Comments
shows that today’s youth may be coming of age and struggling for autonomy and identity amid new worlds for communication, friendship, play, and self-expression." In my opinion I think these new forms of social networking allow young adults to express themselves in more ways than one. For example, these myspace pages are created in a way for the user to edit and tweak their pages until they feel they have been able to express themselves to the fullest. The user can change their backgrounds, their pictures, fonts, and they can even add music to play in the back. If this isn't a great way of self-expression...what is?
This quote brought up ideas and considerations that had not occurred to me until I read this article. How do teen development specialists, teachers, parents and schoolboards deal with this new form of online literacy? They can not ignore it, nor can they wholly embrace it. Ignoring it would cause boredom and restrictions that would turn rebellion-prone teens against them, and embracing it wholly would be to forget the old literacies and the old ways that of course have value too. Adding emphasis to the old literacies would quickly grow boring for this modern generation but focusing too much on Myspace or Facebook literacies would not be beneficial for a generation so tech savvy. It quickly becomes a balancing act with objects of unequal weight. But which should weigh more?
The article mentions the fact that young people can interact with adults online as equals and that the normal social rules of respecting elders does not apply online. I think that this idea may decrease young people's respect for adults in the real world. People that are very involved in online communites can lack real social skills, especially those who have never been without the internet and cell phones.
I guess when couples' announce it over the web, it seems more realistic because it shows people that they aren't ashamed of their relationship or not trying to be secretive about it. So i concur with researchers. They have it right when it comes to making relationships official not only offline, but online as well.
Researchers also seem to know about dating and flirting over new media, such as texting and facebooking. It is alot easier to be flirtatious over texting and typing because you want to be perceived a certain way by someone you like. I guess you can mask who you really are when you really want to. But if a relationship is started over the web, it can become awkward in person. you might be disappointed when the person that you like to talk to over the web isn't as sarcastic, funny, or sensitive in person. So, again, i think that researchers have understood the concept of flirting online.If you want a true relationship, keep it offline.
Social networks like MySpace nd Facebook allow teens to emphasize the love that they share for one another. You can post romantic stuff on your girlfriend's wall, and she will feel like the most special girl online. These websites also can be negative. they allow people to express their feelings about almost ANYTHING. Many people virtual fight or agrue through chat or posts. These, in turn, puts your "business" out in cyberspace. Although these new media devices and social networks are good for making new friends, it is also good for losing them.
I found this quote to be striking in its accuracy. I can remember when i first got a myspace and how complicated it was to download pictures, make a profile, and all the other things "required" to be on your myspace. But through trial and error i eventually got these things to work and was able to post this. Even today I still use skills such as uploading pictures in regular life. It was a lesson stumbled upon and through exploration figured out.
motivated to learn from peers than from adults.” I agree that our generation is more likely to listen to other “youth” from our generation rather than the non technologically advanced adults. However, a general “respect” for our peers is not the case. We may show respect to our “friends” (mainly the people we will literally come in contact with), but when it comes to complete strangers on the internet, we greatly lack the social manners we would use face to face. This is most evident when people comment on the work of others or a post in general. Youtube video comments are a multitude of slurs and ill language towards women, races, religions and the people who comment specifically. Because we are not face to face with these people and because our actions on the internet will have little or no immediate consequence, we can sometimes lose our social manners and "respect" for others.
-J. Fishel
Unlike my parents, young parents today love to play games since they were in the generation of the start of game technology or because they want to get along with their children better. I found that true when playing a certain type of game, such as Wii Sports, family members make teams and compete for fun. A lot of family communication and understanding happens; however, the topic of the communication is mostly limited on one subject, the game. At the moment of playing the games, family may get closer to each other, but they get much closer to the game. Also most games isolate the family because the older generation cannot understand their children’s interests and they do not get the point of playing games, while young children get interested into games or even addicted.
From the time I was a small child I have “played” on the computer. Usually my parents or teachers have put in some type of educational game for me to play. As time went along I began to “play” online myself without necessarily seeking educational enrichment; I began to use Myspace and Facebook. Here I learned to post photos, edit basic html codes, and access pop culture news. Through “hanging out” and staying connected with my friends online I can personally attest to the fact that I have learned a lot that I feel will prepare me for the new age technologically-based society.
Through my explorations online and hanging out with my friends I have learned to make better slideshows to be used in class, take better photos and edit them online, and to simply type faster and more efficient. If I hadn’t been able to discover aspects of the internet on my own or with close friends, I may not have been as prepared as I feel I currently am or will continue become.
Before reading this article I had never thought about the relationships between children and adults this way, however I do agree with its analysis in this study. So often adults deem certain "childish" behavior as simply something that a child has to go through in order to become an adult. This day in age children and teenagers give a lot of insight into what the future may hold, so I agree with the article and think that it is important for us to recognize and study this behavior as something legitimately important to the further understanding of society as a whole.
-I believe this comment is stating that teenagers in this current time have now turned to their peers for knowledge and how to deal with life. This culture in youth has been around for a long time. Generation X was specifically social labeled as the first generation to spend more time with friends than with parents. Spending time with friends especially at an early age lead to a different development in their character. So this concept that the current generation is now turning to friends now than ever before, I believe it to be false.
From the article, "Messing around is an open-ended activity that involves tinkering and exploration that is only loosely goal directed. Often this can transition to more “serious” engagement in which a young
person is trying to perfect a creative work or become a knowledge expert in the genre of geeking out." I think this new ability to learn from your peers online, or from experts in the field in which you are interested is incredibly valuable. Instead of attending a class on something they are interested in, a person can go online and talk to their peers with similar interests with varying levels of experience and knowledge. I think this provides a learning environment that may actually be better than traditional institutionalized learning, as the people who are participating are there and helping because they are interested in the subject, not because they are forced to participate in the subject for either credit for a diploma or for financial reasons.
Such a quote carries so much significance and truth nowadays. I am glad that it was in fact included in this article as all teenagers at one point or another are able to relate to this fact. I, for one, used to be big on texting in first getting to know a person (specifically of the opposite sex), however with experience have realized that simply communicating through text messages or online alternatives, although beneficial in guarding one's own self, rather than enhancing your relationship with a person in fact hurts it more than anything. Constantly speaking through a screen eventually takes away from your ability to communicate with them face to face, or even over the phone! Something that i find completely absurd and ridiculous! Having aquired this knowledge, in getting to know another person i make it a necessity to not only communicate through text messages and instant messages, but also on the phone as well as in person. Furthermore, the constant updates that are made possible on such social networking sites as Facebook allow you to have constant access to people's progress in their daily lives, no matter how minor or futile. It also enables you to observe others' progress or "intensity" in friendships and relationships. In other words it allows everybody and anybody to be as nosey as they please in keeping up with everybody's lives.
I found this quote to be completely accurate, because as teens we are constantly trying to keep personal things from people, yet we parade ourselves on facebook as if we were balloons at the Macy's parade. It amazes me how fast people are updated on my life, but then I remember that what I posted the night before on facebook. On top of dealing with every person I talk to on facebook I now have to deal with what others will perceive of my conversation. Things that come across as "scandalous" are often just inside jokes that end up getting me in trouble. Lyrics that I post as stati that have sad connotation are immediately blown up in my face, and suddenly I'm bombarded by friends. Then, lord forbid you have to change your relationship status. My brother and his girlfriend officially ended there 3 year relationship just because he posted "it's complicated" as their status, instead of "in a relationship." This new found publicity we have come across online both hinders and helps our relationships, in the real world. In some ways it is good to let people know when your feeling sad or happy, but do we really want that guy you haven't seen in 6 years to know that you have been crying over your ex? It just sets you up to look pathetic to the people, who don't know the details of a situation. Instead of people being aware of the full story they are getting the captions.
-Gentry Hodnett
youth are picking up basic social and technical skills they
need to fully participate in contemporary society. Erecting
barriers to participation deprives teens of access to
these forms of learning. Participation in the digital age
means more than being able to access serious online
information and culture. Youth could benefit from educatorsbeing more open to forms of experimentation and
social exploration that are generally not characteristic
of educational institutions."
This excerpt relates a lot to me. My parents were born in another country and moved here to the US about twenty years ago. Where they're from they didn't have much technology while growing up. Now that they're here in the US living in a society were technology is very advanced they're always mentioning how people have become very lazy because of all the technology improvements. When ever my parents see me using my computer and laptop they always start complaining that I could be doing something productive like cleaning instead of wasting my time using the computer. I try to explain to them how we have home work assignments online and how the internet provides information for me for other class assignments I'm required to do.. After I try to explain this to them they will start arguing with me how todays teachers and society are all screwed up because of technology and how technology is making people lazy. They argue that technology has changed education into something worthless because teachers don't want to teach students in class anymore. My parents are those type of people who are trying to put up barriers to deprive teens of new ways of learning.
Today's society has become so dependent on new technology. Businesses are able to connect faster and accomplish more because of technology. Instead of meeting up with someone and talking to them, we would rather have text conversation that last for hours. Now with Skype, people no longer have to leave their house go "see" someone. The last thing that I would like to mention is that society wants what is convenient. Soon we will create a monster that we will not be able to stop just because we want the fastest and best technology available.
existing friendships in these ways."
I agree with this statement completely. I know that everyone of my closest friends use some type of new media ranging from facebook to skype to keep in contact with other people. Teens and increasingly more adults use such devices to communicate and stay close with existing friends and new people. For example, I have sailed my whole life and compete in events across the Southeast. I have met many friends from this and alot of them live as far away as Florida, so it is not feasible for us to hangout in person to continue our friendship. This is where "new media" comes into play. We use facebook and skype to keep in touch with each other; We'll leave messages on each other's facebook wall or video chat each other. By doing this we don't loose touch and our friendship isn't eroded away by lack of communication that otherwise would happen without the internet. I think this leads to the conclusion that the world is becoming smaller in a sense. The fact that my friend and I can stay close even though we live about 12 hours away from each other means that in some way the world has shrunk. We are no longer confined to our immediate area and can know people from far away and interact with them on a daily basis. New types of media have opened the flood gates of interaction between practically anyone in the world. So the new way of thinking about "hanging out" no longer is limited to talking and playing video games in a friend's basement but can now mean chatting and "hanging out" with several people from around the world at one time.