Sunday, February 17, 2008

The Boogie-Man Comes Home.

The Boogie-Man Comes Home.

After viewing “Growing-Up Online,” A PBS Frontline special about the effects of internet social networks, online gaming, and technology in general is having startling effects on adolescent behavior and development. According to Erik Erickson stages of psychosocial development, it is apparent that each child is going through their adolescent stage and is confronted with identity confusion. Apparently, online social networks like, Myspace and Facebook, are replacing good ole “normal” socializing and have allowed children to seek out a very unhealthy active (niche-picking) genotype-environments through their computers. It’s frightening that western society has become so overwhelmed with working and support their children financially, that they are forgetting to monitor what their children are actually doing online. But the parents are victims as well. They are so busy trying to stay ahead that they only have time for quick media such as their televisions at night, which has in fact caused vast amounts of paranoia amongst parents. They are constantly being shown reports on school shootings, kidnappings, and other sorts of violence and have created a “boogie-man complex.” Parents are so paranoid of something terrible happening to their children outdoors and kept them indoors where it’s safe and now these children are seeking out friendship, love, and even parenting online and have allowed the boogie man to come home.

It is now imperative that we as a society need to look at a new ways of actively parenting our children. Certain online manners and behaviors should be taught and more active outdoor activities should be enforced. I don’t believe internet social network are the cause of it all, I do believe a lot of it has to do with the child and his or her environment that are causing the real problems.