I did a reading last week because I missed the second part of the community lecture. My reading came from a Proquest search from the KU library website. Nancy Willard wrote the article and it came from MultiMedia & Internet @ Schools. I’m assuming that it is some kind of magazine of journal because there are multiple volumes and issues. The article is fairly recent as it came from the July/August 2006 issue.
The four-page article describes new social networks that our youth culture sees as a new phenomenon. The social networks go hand in hand with the new technology trend. While Willard highlights some aspects of the social networking like providing and sharing information through photos, music, and graphics, she mainly shares the concerns and dangers of social networking. Willard argues that teen’s brains are developed enough to make good and appropriate decisions. She says that they disclose too much information, which leads sexual predators to them. She also adds that teenagers are Internet addicted which results “in a lack of healthy engagement in the major areas of life-family, friends, school, homework, work, exercise, personal interests, and sleep.
I liked that this article tied into our community lecture, but it seemed just like every other stereotypical youth culture article. Willard makes remarks about how schools and parents need to take even bigger actions towards these social networks. I understand that disclosing too much information is dangerous in the world we live in, but at the same time I think parents should teach kids early on how much to disclose in situations being in person or when using the internet. Teens shouldn’t be using these social networks at school, so that shouldn’t be an issue. Not every teenager is stupid, so why bash a network that can also have positive aspects to it. The journalistic features are amazing and I think its awesome that so many young people have all of these great pieces of technology available to them.