Part of our reading included an article on class divisions through social networking sites. I know it was optional to be read, but I thought I'd write about it anyhow.
I thought of it as interesting how the article pointed out that class divisions in the United States have more to do with social networks, than with social capital, cultural capital or attitudes more than income.
Facebook is a social networking site where users get to know the people they know primarily through networks. Already, we get to know the people we know through connections and opportunities as they present themselves in the real world. Facebook functions in much the same fashion.
The author notes that myspace seems to be home to those who aren't in college, therefore not having opportunity to easily meet people like college students would.
The Danah Boyd article speaks of why youth heart (<3) myspace. She mentions that myspacers get to leave comments, but they also get to create a look for their pages. This gives cues to younger generations as to what to wear, and how things work as well as how we fit into the socio-economic class hierarchy. Things aren't always what they might seem. Ultimately both myspace & facebook give users the ability to express themselves in different but very similar ways.
Facebook has a wall, my space has commenting, ect.
In todays world filled with digital natives, a really good networking system is necessary. I believe Prensky's article to be true. Teenagers today process information very differently than their parents once did.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the material on myspace & facebook, and the instant access that it's users now have.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
News articles
While attempting to look for articles relating to teenagers, I ended up coming across many relating to teenage pregnancies, gang violence & how suddenly teenagers are able to use digital access as a form of torment & abuse.
As a teenager, I saw many people in high school get pregnant & others get abortions. Some things I've come to conclude, is that teenage pregnancy might be an issue throughout every teenagers lives. Not just mine, or generation X -- which refers to current teenagers.
The article on gang violence also stood out to me. It kind of hit close to home considering that it was a current situation happening in Providence, within middle schools as well as high schools. I have a sibling in middle school which caused me to dig deeper into the issue. The article stated that with soaring rates of unemployment, lack of access to higher education, and teenagers dropping out of school to work that violence was bound to increase. Warm weather also intensified the situation.
In the third article I found, it spoke about teenagers living in a suburban neighborhood using digital media (instant messaging, text messaging) to harass a classmate. The teenage girls were middle school goers tormenting their 13 year old classmate. Parents also have quite the impression. The article went on to state that a parent was involved with tormenting the child.
All of these articles reminded me of Hines "Rise and Fall of the Teenager". Everyday teenagers are approached with issues that they're forced to make decisions regarding. With mass media readily available, and many tools able to use I feel like it's even more possible for teenagers to fall.
This also ties into Prensky's "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants". It's become difficult for parents and guardians to keep track of their teenagers when parents/guardians are digital natives. This is something new to them and some don't know how to access information as well as their teenagers do.
As a teenager, I saw many people in high school get pregnant & others get abortions. Some things I've come to conclude, is that teenage pregnancy might be an issue throughout every teenagers lives. Not just mine, or generation X -- which refers to current teenagers.
The article on gang violence also stood out to me. It kind of hit close to home considering that it was a current situation happening in Providence, within middle schools as well as high schools. I have a sibling in middle school which caused me to dig deeper into the issue. The article stated that with soaring rates of unemployment, lack of access to higher education, and teenagers dropping out of school to work that violence was bound to increase. Warm weather also intensified the situation.
In the third article I found, it spoke about teenagers living in a suburban neighborhood using digital media (instant messaging, text messaging) to harass a classmate. The teenage girls were middle school goers tormenting their 13 year old classmate. Parents also have quite the impression. The article went on to state that a parent was involved with tormenting the child.
All of these articles reminded me of Hines "Rise and Fall of the Teenager". Everyday teenagers are approached with issues that they're forced to make decisions regarding. With mass media readily available, and many tools able to use I feel like it's even more possible for teenagers to fall.
This also ties into Prensky's "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants". It's become difficult for parents and guardians to keep track of their teenagers when parents/guardians are digital natives. This is something new to them and some don't know how to access information as well as their teenagers do.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Listen up ! Youth Media Network
Listen up ! Is a site where teenagers can speak back against the dominant culture and intense topics such as how lack of funding is really impacting their families, teen pregnancies, domestic violence, stalking and of course the usual sophomoric topic like identity & coming to find ones gender identity.
This a video where teenagers are beating each other up. When I first watched it, it was shocking to see these girls beat each other up. It was absolutely vicious; many of them blamed the media's influence, and ability to watch things from afar without them being the victim. I suppose they simply like watching how other humans react in a fight or flight situation. Other students who were also interviewed stated that it was simply for reputation. Over all.. very shocking.
Listen up ! also has video's of teenagers resisting dominant culture :
I really enjoyed this production, which is a break up letter to the American care system.
The teen takes a stand for talking about her desire to want an efficient health care system which effects everyone at all different stages in their lives, not just teenagers. To watch a teenager have a mature opinion on such a topic shows that teenagers these days are absolutely capable of being intellectual individuals and retaining information that affects themselves as well as their families.
Over all, Listen up! is a web site that gives people insight into the minds of teenagers. There are some sites that are similar, myspace.com being one of them that gives teenagers the advantages of uploading not just photos, web links, but videos as well to their profiles. Facebook.com also hopped on the band-wagon giving people the ability to upload photos as well. I feel that Listen up! stands out more or less with the ability to have a video that expands over a minute in length. I'm glad that it gives teenagers an opportunity to post ideas in a different fashion than myspace or facebook.
This a video where teenagers are beating each other up. When I first watched it, it was shocking to see these girls beat each other up. It was absolutely vicious; many of them blamed the media's influence, and ability to watch things from afar without them being the victim. I suppose they simply like watching how other humans react in a fight or flight situation. Other students who were also interviewed stated that it was simply for reputation. Over all.. very shocking.
Listen up ! also has video's of teenagers resisting dominant culture :
I really enjoyed this production, which is a break up letter to the American care system.
The teen takes a stand for talking about her desire to want an efficient health care system which effects everyone at all different stages in their lives, not just teenagers. To watch a teenager have a mature opinion on such a topic shows that teenagers these days are absolutely capable of being intellectual individuals and retaining information that affects themselves as well as their families.
Over all, Listen up! is a web site that gives people insight into the minds of teenagers. There are some sites that are similar, myspace.com being one of them that gives teenagers the advantages of uploading not just photos, web links, but videos as well to their profiles. Facebook.com also hopped on the band-wagon giving people the ability to upload photos as well. I feel that Listen up! stands out more or less with the ability to have a video that expands over a minute in length. I'm glad that it gives teenagers an opportunity to post ideas in a different fashion than myspace or facebook.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
