Reading Response 4

The Effects Online Internet Has on Teenagers
In the video, published from Frontline, “Growing up Online” by Dirs. Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio, it illustrated the damaging effects the internet can have on teenagers growing up in today’s society. Some of the facts that were stated in the video: nobody is in charge of what happens on the internet, and there are no limits to what you can find and do on it. Nearly ninety percent of teenagers are online, and many rely so heavily on it, that if access to the online internet was taken away from them, they would be at a loss of what to do. Some teenagers use it as an outlet for self expression that is away from their parents and adult supervision; it is outside the reach of their parents. In many cases, parents are unaware of what their child is participating in when they are online, even if they do install parental controls on the computer; teenagers have found a way around that. When teenagers access the internet; it is at a touch of a button and they can join friends and any number of groups to be a part of. It becomes their private life, a life where they can try on different identities, and become something totally opposite of themselves in the real world. Many of the groups that teenagers can be a part of can have a negative influence on the teenager; with misleading facts, cyber bullying and stalking predators. The internet also effects school work; large volume intense books can be found, and reviews read to summarize the book and in some cases, even a written report can be accessed for them to use for an assignment. Since teachers are aware of this, they are able to submit these assignments back to the internet to have scanned to see if the student has done this. Anything you want to know or access is at a touch of a button or word. With the use of the internet, all you need to do is type in a word and you are there.
I don’t have a lot of experience with online internet and digital media. In fact, I just recently bought my first computer (laptop) just over a year ago. I have joined “Face book” web page, but merely as a way to find past high school friends that I have lost touch with over the years. I finished my high school years in a small farm town; there were only a hundred teenagers in my graduating class. Since there was not a lot to do in a small town, in order to socialize with friends, on weekends, I would go to sports events, or driving (cruzing) the strip downtown. As I compare this video, to my life growing up with my friends, I believe it could have had a very negative effect on my friends and me. With access to online internet at that time in my life, I probably would have been much less physically and socially active with my friends, and spent my time “surfing” the web pages. I can see how going online could be an outlet to a new exciting life, but could also have a negative influence on a healthy lifestyle of a teenager.