Okay, I was a little put off by the eight pages I had to read, but Emily Nussbaum certainly got my brain working with her article ‘Say Everything’, which investigates the world of online societies, how the youth use it and how privacy doesn’t exist anymore. I loved it, and here’s why...
Her argument, is very brief sometimes, really explores the ways which teenagers use to socialise online and why they do it (here's another take on it). Also, she outlines some of the reasons why adults could be afraid of the internet and social networking, but she doesn’t actually pinpoint how the generation gap happened, or why. Even so, I agree that there is a generation gap and that some (not all) do not seem to want to grasp the future.
The interviews with the ‘younger generation’ were really intriguing and I was looking at being online in a whole new different way; that’s actually saying something as I have MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and loads more! It was also interesting how ‘oops porn’ victims dealt with life afterwards; one washed her hands of the internet altogether (I would too if a porn site was named after me) and another stayed online.
Some of the quotes from the adults were really amusing too. When asked if he likes to take photos when he goes to parties, Kansas man Kent Gasaway replied, “There are a lot of weirdos out there... There are a lot of strangers out there,” which made me smile. Of course there are strangers out there; you’re being interviewed by one! It really provided some solid evidence for Emily’s argument; some adults have no idea about the internet and/or social networking! (Though this article thinks differently.)
However, one quote from Caitlin Oppermann really got my goat! She said, “I just really don’t like MySpace. ’Cause I think it’s just so … I don’t know if superficial is the right word. But plastic. These profiles of people just parading themselves. I kind of have it in for them,” which is so hypocritical! If this girl really believes that, then why does she sign up to everything and put her pictures, videos or her blogs on them? Surely that’s parading oneself on the internet?
Oh, but she says it’s because she’s sentimental. Well I guess that makes it okay then…
But apart from Gasaway, most of the things the ‘older generation’ said were actually true! Danah Boyd, a media researcher was quoted, “It’s [talking online] a form of communication that requires a person to be constantly aware that anything you say can and will be held against you, but somehow not mind,” and she is so right. I have MSN and know that people can save transcripts from conversations, I’m constantly thinking about how things could be used against me, but I just say it anyway. I’m under the impression that people feel safer online, even when you consider the risks, then they do offline; if someone finds out you’ve been talking about them, what are they going to do? Punch you through the monitor!?
I don’t think so!
Anyway, this is a key example of teenagers being more forward than adults, as I tend to get the impression that adults have to watch what they say, whether it be to their children or their bosses.
So let’s round up! I agree with Emily’s argument, I think adults who are oblivious to the internet world are hilarious and Caitlin Oppermann is a hypocrite.
1 comment:
Good post. I guess Nussbaum's argument is that the generation gap just sort of happened as young people grew up with the net and used it mainly as a social tool for self-expression... Older people tend to see it as something to do with publishing, with finding info. Younger people tend to focus more on connecting with people, not data...
That said, you're right - it's more complex than that, though I guess that, given that she's writing a magazine article, it's not really her brief to go too deep, just suggest and point to some interesting ideas and angles.
Like the linking you've done here - you do know you've linked to a research paper/notes by Danah Boyd, one of the people interviewed for the piece, don't you? If you're interested, it's worth checking out more of her stuff - she's done a lot of great research into social networking sites. Overall, you seem really comfortable writing online and you've got a nice conversational/personal style.
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