AOL instant messanger. Along with millions of Americans, AIM is my secret obsession. I can't get enough of it. It is instinct to log on to AIM everytime I get on the computer. I love being able to talk with 4 or 5 friends at once and still listen to music, check facebook, and do my homework. In class today, we had a conversation about the effects of technology on our youth today and it made me think about how much AIM restricts personal conversation, emotion, and comunication skills. It kinda scares me how much I am sounding like my mother, but seriouslsy, think about it, so you actually laugh out loud when you lol? Do you use emotion or think about the tone of your voice when you type on the keyboard? Not really.... Kids in the next generation are going to be less and less able to communicate well with others and are going to show lack of skills that we have today, such as grammer, real emotion, and the ability to hold a conversation.
I found a really interesting youtube video that I included below, where someone interviewed a bunch of English kids and aked them some questions about what they thought about the internet, and what they believed their lives would be like without computers. The answers may shock you.....
1 comment:
Great honesty, Steph.
I watched the video and agree with you that there are some scary aspects to this Brave New World of IM and Facebook.
But I try to read material from the other side. One of my favorite researchers is a grad student named danah boyd, who takes this stuff very seriously -- it's the focus of her work. If you get a chance, you might want to read this article in which she argues, "Over the years, parenting has become more and more about surveillance." How do young people respond to that? boyd's answer may surprise you.
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