I found an article in USA Today on Thursday about Facebook and how teens are resenting the fact that their parents are trying to become part of the Facebook world. The article appeared in the October 4th edition of the USA Today, under the header, " Teens to parents: It's our Facebook." http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2007-10-03-teens-facebook_N.htm?csp=34 When Facebook first launched in 2004 it was exclusively for college students. Gradually Facebook extended its reach, including high school students in September 2005 and last September opening its doors to everyone. Since Facebook opened their doors to anyone, the exclusive feel has been compromised as some teens' parents are now logging on in efforts to communicate with their kids. And this doesn't make teens very happy.
I think it is interesting that I found this article during the week we were discussing usability problems because the usability problems discussed in the book never touched upon social issues. Is there a way to gauge social barriers on the Internet and how do we combat them, or do we even try? Going back to the Facebook article, I think everyone, especially teens, needs their own place where they can go to escape and communicate with other people who not only share similar interests but are also at similar stages in their lives. I think the message here is that although the Internet is a wonderful tool it will never be able to stay clear of the social issues of the real life.
5 comments:
This is a tough issue to address. The internet has its benefits, such as allowing people from all over the world to communicate with one another and access information from many different sources that would otherwise be inaccessible. There are also drawbacks of the internet and related technologies like cellphones. For example, my 14 year old nephew will sit and IM the girl next door for hours, but absolutely refuses to go next door to talk to her. My sister has more contact with kids on a daily basis than I do, and she sees this all the time. The internet and related technologies seem to be harming the development of social skills in some kids (but not in all). It's good that they've got all of these ways to connect, but they should also spend time in person with each other (I mean real face-to-face interaction and not four girls all sitting together at a diner, but all talking on their cellphones to other people. Sounds crazy, but I've seen it). As far as Facebook is concerned, I personally don't like it. Maybe it's just because I'm 40 years old and don't have anything in common with the people on the site, but I actually don't really like email or blogs either. I'll use them if I have to or if it's more convenient, but I prefer face-to-face interaction. I can't read peoples' faces or their body language online. It makes me uncomfortable not to be able to hear someone's voice or see a face. Again, maybe it's just because I'm older and didn't grow up with the internet or cell phones. I don't see the attraction of having all kinds of gadgets with me all of the time, but it's second nature for kids today. It's what they know. And yes, I believe that kids should have online communities that are exclusively theirs, just as they should have places in their physical communities where they can go to gather. Maybe Facebook should revert to its original format because there are plenty of online communities for adults. This really is an interesting issue that needs to be explored further. Thanks for the topic.
My school (Fairfield U) was one of the very first "beta" schools on Facebook when the site initially launched. It was early on in my college career and I loved having a site that I could sign onto and find out who the "girl in the 3rd row of my World History" class was. It really helped a majority of us get to know each other, and as a result, we were more likely to chat each other up during classes and at parties. We didn't solely use it as our ONLY form of Communication, though.
As far as Teens and Parents...I was highly annoyed when Facebook opened up to High Schoolers, and even more annoyed when it was opened up to other networks, such as cities and the general public. I then had priests at our school signing on and leaving comments on students Walls, as well as people from my hometown that I didn't really want to find me. It just got really awkward. Facebook should've taken pride in that they were serving a niche part of the community and carried on that route to make it more edgy. But as we know, numbers and hits = more money.
Teens need a place to go and hide from parents. Why do parents today feel the need to know EVERYTHING? Talk about smothering! (Granted, this is a perspective from a 23 year old male). I, for one, have 2 Facebook accounts: 1 for my Quinnipiac accounts and classes, and 1 for my college friends. There are some things that only your closest friends should know!
Even if Facebook did go back to the original format (high schoolers only), it would still never be the same. You're so right - things start out a certain way (edgy and creative) then they get all commercial. I think there will always be (and always should be) that division on the web between the independent and the commercial. Has anybody ever been to a site called CD Baby? It's a "commercial" site, but not in the same vein as Amazon.com. It's more of a place where independent artists can sell their music, and where you can find stuff that you'd never find at Amazon. We need special places like that online. That's what it's all about. So, yes, we need these places where teens and others can go to connect without having their parents involved. How do we do that, though? I know you need a school email address to access Facebook, but then staff members can access it, too. Proof of age? Who knows. Some parents would probably be p***ed off because they couldn't check up on their kids, but since so many sites have ways of keeping kids out, there must be a way of keeping adults out (unless it's a moderator or something).
I really think that Facebook is great for students. But, as far as face-to-face communication it is slowly disappering since you can use this medium for communication.
Face-to-face communication will never disappear, because humans (as well as other animals) have that innate desire for contact with other people (that's why the worst criminals get solitary confinement- it's such a terrible punishment). Communication has been evolving for thousands of years, and it will continue to evolve along with us, but I just can't see electronic communication replacing face-to-face communication.
Post a Comment