Growing up online

Growing up online
By Emily Levelle
I watched a documentary called “Growing Up Online.” Frontline. Dirs. Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio. PBS. The documentary was all about how the internet and computers have effected are generation and how for teens especially it has become more of a lifestyle then a tool. People known longer use the internet just for homework or games it is used for communication you use it to meet new people the internet has become it’s own world were people can portray themselves as who ever they want to be. In the class rooms teachers have had to become entertainers to keep the focuses of there class. Because students can so easily get the information else wear. When watching growing up online they talked about a girl named Jessica long who was shy and kind of awkward but when she was online she was Autumn Edows a gothic model and artist. She was able to do what most people would love to do and seemingly change everything about themselves. There was a lot of similar opinions coming from the parents, and as a child of the technological generation I thought some of them were honestly being a bit dramatic. One of the moms from new jersey I understood her concerns but see was so sure if her daughters used the internet they were going to get a stalker. I can here her reasoning especially with all the media hype about online predators, but I just feel like maybe she should look and see if she is more afraid of her daughter making a wrong call. It didn’t seem that she was taking the time to see how these social networking sites work not everyone can be a persons friend they need the persons permission. They interviewed two female professors they seemed to second this view saying how most kids know better. I can understand a parents concern especially if they haven’t grown up online it might seem like a scary abyss that there children are playing on the edge of but in actuality what the two women professors were saying is that with a little common sense it isn’t. It was interesting to see the effect the internet has had on parents and how kids can be keeping secrets from there parents yet showing the rest of the world. They also in the documentary faced the subject of cyber bulling. And how that can be just as hard as being bullied face to face and can even cause some teens to turn to suicide. Over all I though PBS did a fantastic job addressing this new digital world we live in today and the effect it has taken growing up online.

After watching this I really had to stop and think about how the internet has effected me. And honestly I can’t say it has, only because I don’t know a life without it. Social networking sites are great when used with caution they have allowed me to stay in touch with friends and family that live far away. Growing up online is the only thing I know I really can’t imagine a world without internet. Am I saying the world wide web is perfect no, but I do believe it is a great communication tool as longer as you use common sense.