i think about and analyze EVERYTHING. probably too much, at times. as much as i love technology, and i’ve been at the cutting edge of it since i was born due to my tech savvy, computer entrepreneur father, bottom line: this technology boom freaks me out.
we were one of the first families in town to have dial-up internet. my dad owned his own computer business on the main street of my town, and previously worked out of an office in our basement. there are photos of me at the age of one, sitting at his computer desk pretending to do work. i was literally born into this stuff.
i didn’t use AOL instant messenger until 7th grade, i didn’t join myspace or facebook until my senior year of high school, and i didn’t have a cell phone until i was 15. all of these social media/networking tools were a way for me to keep in touch with friends and family. i didn’t see the harm in them until my younger cousins, five to seven years younger than me, began to join these sites. for this age group, these sites became a place where they could say or do whatever they darn well pleased, and believe me, they did not know better to think before they typed. myspace became a platform for harassment, or a place to try and steal someone’s boyfriend by spreading nasty rumors. this was not what myspace was to me, but it’s what it turned into for the younger generation.
i see kids who cannot be older than 10 with cell phones. as i can see the benefit of cell phones for safety and security reasons, i still think that they come with too much responsibility and freedom for a young child. all of these “sexting” scandals, and the circulation of inappropriate pictures by impressionable and naive young kids leaves me completely terrified.
these social media sites that younger kids use – specifically facebook and myspace – can provide outlets for kids to be whoever they want to be. great? no, not really. say that Jessica, a hypothetical 13 year old girl, has been getting picked on at school. well, now she can use the internet to portray herself however she wants, possibly as someone who she really isn’t, just so she can gain some credibility or fit in better with the kids at school. THIS IS WAY TOO MUCH PRESSURE. the awkward older adolescent years/teen years are already hard enough.
i always thought that if i was an artist instead of an art historian i would work on a project to see how people, more specifically the adolescent/teen age, use the internet to create a persona. hiding behind the distance of the virtual world, do they feel free or constrained? what is there to gain, to lose by engaging in these practices?
i never thought i’d say it, but i truly do think that there is such a thing as technology overload, and that it can be dangerous. it makes the concept of genuine, real human interaction a thing of the past.
kids are glued to their phones, texting friends literally 24/7. people are becoming more and more socially awkward and less and less personal.
these thoughts come to me when i realize that i am at the age where marriage and babies are in my future. with all of these constant pressures and the technology overload, how will i raise my kids? my generation is going to have to tame this monster we’ve created once we collectively realize that this is not the environment to be exposing our children to, unless we all want socially awkward, distant children who only know how to speak/write in shorthand and constantly need instant gratification. ::shudder::
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