Video Response: Growing Up Online

Broadcast by PBS, a Frontline Special called Growing Up Online by Dirs Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio shows us the lives of youth who use the world wide web and the part it plays in their everyday life. The examples used was a girl named Jessica. I’m actually friends with her on DeviantArt , her deviant name is Autumn Edows as stated on the program. She was picked on in school but created a new and exciting life for herself on the internet. The comments she received over the internet made her feel good about herself. Youth nowadays spend a lot of time on social networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Bebo, or Xanga. I know I’ve used all of them and I don’t know a lot of people that do not use them daily. Adults are concerned about sexual predators online. Contrary to parents fears most youth just block and delete people who ask about personal information. In the program there are a mom who basically invaded her kids privacy by asking for their Facebook passwords. It’s reasonable to be concerned, but it seemed as if she did not trust them. In the end she ruined her relationship with her son. There was also a boy who had used the internet to learn how to commit suicide. I found this upsetting because I had a friend who made the same decision. I think that like all technology it can be useful and it can be destructive. It just depends on the intentions of those who use it.

I would write about how Facebook and other social networking sites help me keep in touch with my friends who live in Hawaii. Since they are so far and flights are expensive these sites have really help me adjust to living in Washington. I can always see what my friends are up to in their latest blogs and photos. I use instant messengers a lot as well through my laptop and cell phone. On messenger we exchange art collaborations/commissions, music, photos, programs, and even watch Korean dramas together (Very popular in Hawaii at the moment). Because of this I feel more confident every day and miss home a little less. Also I found interesting about how parents are concerned about their kids online with sexual predators. I found that adults are more prone to money scams than kids are to creepy people online.