There is no question that my generation has grown up around technology. The advances of the personal computer and the internet have changed the way we study, work and even socialize. PBS’s Frontline developed an interesting perspective on the effect of social technology and teenagers in the documentary “Growing Up Online.” Directors Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio focused on both the negative and positive sides of the social craze. In the first few minutes of “Growing Up Online” the audience is told, “90 % of teenagers are online.” The focus is that the socialization of today’s teens is mainly online, a place where previous generations are not too familiar. Teachers and parents are at a loss when it comes to containing the behavior on social networks and some are having a hard time adapting. Others are using new technologies to better assist their students in this era of change. Touch screen “Smart Boards” are being put into classrooms as well as services like TurnItIn.com to combat new cheating services students can find online. Parents are often worried about who their child is communicating with online, hoping they are not talking to sexual predators or cyber bullies. When it comes to the teenagers, the majority of them have positive views on social networking. Some are able to find new identities and outlets for their teen angst. The popularity among teens of sites like Myspace and Facebook combined with concerned or overbearing parents creates “the greatest generation gap since Rock N Roll.”
The Internet has definitely impacted my daily life. I spend a majority of my time in a day on the Internet. I find that I am able to access all sorts of information. Anything I have any question about can be easily be found on Google. I lead a very busy life, some weeks I don’t have the time to socialize at all with everything that I have going on. With Facebook, I am able to socialize while working on homework. All of my bills have been digitized to paperless billing and are all paid online, and my trips to the bank have transformed into a few clicks. While being a full-time student and working Monday through Friday, the Internet has just become a fast, reliable resource to accomplish any other tasks outside of work and school. When I am done with my busy day, I find myself reading all sorts of news articles ranging from politics to sports. The Internet has also been very efficient for my hobby of music production. I am able to email things I am working on to other musicians around the world and have them add things or give back feedback almost instantly. I am able to upload music files for people to listen to and also listen to other musical projects my friends are working on. The advances of the Internet have helped me to tackle more tasks in my life. I feel like I have been able to adapt to the rapid technological changes in my lifetime and used them to the best of my ability.
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