Social Media

This week I was really interested in the presentation on danah boyd's book It's Complicated.

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 from Google Images

 This book had already appealed me earlier in the course and I had put it on hold at my local library. This presentation has further piqued my interest because I tend to agree with a lot of the quotes that were pulled from the book for the presentation created by Nicole Zumpano. 

How Society Views Tech

Quote from It's Complicated by boyd
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Quote from It's Complicated by boyd
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Two quotes that caught my attention were about how the media uses technology to amplify an idea or a position, and how everyone wants to blame technology for the problems with people today. I think it's far more likely that the root problem or behavior has always existed. It was just generally more hidden. Technology hasn't necessarily changed people; it's just given them a voice and platform. This is celebrated when we like the that voice and platform or when it brings good to our world, but instead of recognizing that the opposite can also be true we tend to blame the tool rather than the situation, person, or cause of the bad behavior. 

This mindset does not require us to be reflective or proactive in trying to solve the problem. The blame lies elsewhere and there's little we can do about it because technology is such a big thing that's beyond our control. 

Technology and Children-The Parent View

Being a parent isn't easy today. However, I think that this statement does a huge disservice to parents who came before us. I don't think being a parent has ever been easy. Sure today we have to worry about screen time and cyber bullying, but we don't have to worry about smallpox or polio. It's all about perspective. I think families have always been balancing a parent's need to protect and educate with a teen's need to privacy and independence. Having parents look at social media accounts is the modern day equivalent of reading a diary or listening to what you said to your friends on the phone. I'm not positive, but I'd guess that many families used to fight about those issues a few decades ago. Finally, I think the final quote I included about teens today having less freedom is a sad state for kids and parents. I think that kids need independence in order to navigate the world and figure out how to get along without their parents. I try very hard to keep that philosophy in mind when raising my own kids. It's not always easy and there are times when it's actually quite scary, but I am also happy to be in a neighborhood where it's generally safe for my kids to be out exploring and growing up without me always around. I think that's important. Yet, ironically it's also getting harder as my kids get older. It's never easy and I think that society would benefit greatly from working together to make sure our kids can safely navigate the real world, a little patience, understanding, and guidance for all can go a long way toward building a community that raises all  of us up.  

Quote from It's Complicated by boyd
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Quote from It's Complicated by boyd
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I am excited to read this book and am looking forward to the author's reflections on these topics.