Michaela's Growing Up Online Response

Growing up online. Does that have any meaning to you as a reader? These two producers Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio thought it effects a lot of teens in this time era. They feel a lot of teens do live online and it can be a positive and negative thing for teens. In the video it said, “There are about 160 million teens on Facebook and Myspace.” That’s a lot of teens. Teens have said they use these websites and the internet in general to help with their homework, keep in touch with friends, meet new people, and just have something to do in the comfort of their own homes. Teens update homemade videos on Utube of them dancing, venting, and anything that they feel they need to share with the world. Teens feel they can get away from “their” normal lives and create a whole “new” personality on the internet. The video also said, “There are about 90% of teens online.” That probably means that most of your friends are online. So teens must be on there to be in the “know” of things. The producers call this the “Greatest generation group,” that has to do with the internet. Meaning teens in these days know a lot more than an”average” person. The teens find loop holes around what their parents want them to do on the internet because they feel some of their parents do not understand the meaning to have internet. These teens can use the internet for good purposes but also there can be bad from endless use of the internet. Teens can stay on the internet for hours at a time and can forget what’s going on around them. Teens can have their grades reflect that they don’t spend enough time doing their homework. Teens can meet people who they have never met them before. These people could be predators or worse killers. Teens that are unhappy can find suicidal websites and learn how to kill themselves. Not only that but met people with similar views and encourage bad behavior. If teens find the loop hole to block their parents from the good they do on the internet well the same goes if they are doing bad things on the internet. Parents have lost control of their teens when it comes to use of the internet. Who is to blame? What can parents do? Teachers have also started to teach kids lessons on the internet and programs the kids can learn to become better internet users. Anyway people look at it, internet is going to stay here awhile and the real question is how bad things can be kept off the internet.
Internet has impacted my life in good and bad ways. In the good it has let me explore anything I want to explore. I have kept in touch with family, friends and even met new people. The internet has helped me to do homework and get research done. It lets me know when movies are playing and keeps me informed with the latest news, gossip, and anything really. It helps me be more in the “knowing” than me not “knowing” things. I like being informed and it helps me start conversations because if people are talking about the latest news, I will know. But it has also had a negative impact. I can’t go one day without getting on my Facebook or Myspace. Also my cell phone allows me to have internet and then I don’t need to be on a computer to be on those cites. Meaning it is easier for me to be on those sites. I find things out about people that I wish I didn’t because I then change my opinion of them. I can then see liars say things that aren’t true and call them out thus causing drama. It’s hard for me to not use some sites but feel like I have to in order to survive. That’s sad but it’s the truth. I feel if my community offered a place for people my age to get together and hang out I wouldn’t need the computer as much as I use it now. I feel my community is pretty boring and the internet can be way more fun sometimes. That’s pretty much it that the internet has done to me. I have learned to not be on here as much but am still on it enough thanks to me having internet access on my cell phone. I will continue to use the internet for whatever reason till my community can become “more” fun! Or when I turn 21 which is this year!