Youthful Social Networking

I listened to a podcast by Dana Boyd, a PhD student at University of California, Berkley. It was on the topic of Social Networking and Privacy. If you are interested, it can be found here: http://epmedia.ecollege.com/media/emu/ABS-EDMT592-2798455/boyd.mp3.

Over the last few weeks, I have established accounts and profiles on several social networking sites. Through my experience with these sites, I have come to learn much more about the significance of an individuals profile and friends list. I was fairly comfortable with the information the sites encourage you to post, with other things, I just did not complete. However, after I listened to Boyd's podcast, I have looked at this process with a new light. I was making careful decisions when I was sharing my personal information - or more specifically - about what information to share. However, I do not think that kids will necessairly have the skill to make careful decisions with this.

Boyd described how todays youth view social networking sites as 'kid space,' often without an understanding of the potential audience. Kids do not recognize that potential viewers from sexual deviants to employers can and may use the posted information in ways the author had not intended. There is often a big gap between who the kids believe are viewing their information and who actually may be. At worst, this could put them in serious danger, or it could lose them a job opportunity, or simply upset a parent. Either way, the kids must recognize the "invisible audience." This is just one challenge that arises with younger kids using social networking. Certainly there are other problems that may arise with kids making their lives, activities and friends public.

I really appreciate Boyd's suggestions to educators. She encourages educating kids through conversation - not lecture, setting norms, keeping an open mind, modeling with your own profile, and simply be present. As with teaching a lesson in class, a student will learn much better through experience and engagement, rather than just listening. Along this reasoning, I see the advantages to teachers having heir own accounts and modeling how to appropriately use these social sites. A student will be much more likly to follow the lead of a teacher on the site than a teacher lecturing them about the sites.

Social networking sites are just one of the latest innovations that is demanding our attention. While kids are jumping in the deep end of these sites, we need to get in the pool with them and show them how to swim safetly. Kids simply claiming these sites as their space, and shunning adult intervention is short sited and foolish. They need to learn new types of lessons about privacy and safety that we never had to in our youth.

...now, remember to be home when the street lights come on.