Responsibility with communication and social media
Imagine yourself without the internet today. Where would you be without your cell phone? What would you do without Facebook or Instagram, or always being connected to your family, friends, and the world? What is that doing to our communication?
With social media today we no longer have to physically interact with someone to communicate. I remember when I had to wait for someone to wake up in the morning before I could call them on the phone, have an actual conversation where I heard their tone of voice, could sense the actual meaning behind what they were saying. In recent years I send a text message or a tweet at two in the morning and when I wake up expect a response of some kind from them. I often expect them to respond to me instantly regardless of the time of day. Fast for to today when I am starting to realize how glued I am to my digital devices and how I am always longing to be connected. My thoughts then turn to my future children. Where will social media be when they are my age and how will they be effected by the instant gratification of social media?
In 2010 the average teenager sends around 3,400 texts a month: that is more than 100 a day. Youth today spend close to eight hours per day in from of an electronic screen - more time than sleeping, school, or any other activity. Just imagine how that might be effecting the youth today. One mother tells a story of her 14 year-old daughter "I insisted that my 14 year-old daughter temporarily shut down her Facebook account. It happened just a few weeks into the new school year. A series of stressful social media interactions erupted in an exceptionally close-knit class. There were inappropriate posts, thought to be private. Not so; students suddenly were caught up in hurtful chats they would soon regret. Her school, the Atlanta International School, was proactive in its response, counseling students and offering a series of digital information sessions for parents. "Our guidance is to apply the Golden Rule. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, forget about sending it via text, Skype or Facebook," said Jeff Holcomb, head of the upper school at Atlanta International. What surprised me most when I had to play "bad cop" was that my daughter seemed relieved, possibly because I told her she could blame me."
Teens today are learning from their mistakes and are realizing that there is no back button on social media. David Hill, chairman-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics' council on communications and media said, "Teens actually want and need limits on their behavior. They need to know you are dedicated to keeping them safe and looking out for them." Hill also advised that you sit down and your their favorite show; have them show you the websites they are interested in. you might be surprised at how much your teen welcomes your attention -- and how much you'll learn about what's going on in your child's brain by sharing some of that time.
How are we as adults/parents being role-models? It is our responsibility to educate our kids and the youth on the use of technology and social media, just as our parents did for us while we were growing up. Go out and learn about social media, join the sites our kids are on so we can better be prepared to handle the communication gaps that come along with popular social media sites.
http://mashable.com/2015/03/28/internet-communication-brandspeak/#jzFdgWyiHmqa
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-05-02/188395/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-hess/the-power-social-media-has-over-teen-lives_b_5582497.html
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/23/health/youth-social-media/
With social media today we no longer have to physically interact with someone to communicate. I remember when I had to wait for someone to wake up in the morning before I could call them on the phone, have an actual conversation where I heard their tone of voice, could sense the actual meaning behind what they were saying. In recent years I send a text message or a tweet at two in the morning and when I wake up expect a response of some kind from them. I often expect them to respond to me instantly regardless of the time of day. Fast for to today when I am starting to realize how glued I am to my digital devices and how I am always longing to be connected. My thoughts then turn to my future children. Where will social media be when they are my age and how will they be effected by the instant gratification of social media?
In 2010 the average teenager sends around 3,400 texts a month: that is more than 100 a day. Youth today spend close to eight hours per day in from of an electronic screen - more time than sleeping, school, or any other activity. Just imagine how that might be effecting the youth today. One mother tells a story of her 14 year-old daughter "I insisted that my 14 year-old daughter temporarily shut down her Facebook account. It happened just a few weeks into the new school year. A series of stressful social media interactions erupted in an exceptionally close-knit class. There were inappropriate posts, thought to be private. Not so; students suddenly were caught up in hurtful chats they would soon regret. Her school, the Atlanta International School, was proactive in its response, counseling students and offering a series of digital information sessions for parents. "Our guidance is to apply the Golden Rule. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, forget about sending it via text, Skype or Facebook," said Jeff Holcomb, head of the upper school at Atlanta International. What surprised me most when I had to play "bad cop" was that my daughter seemed relieved, possibly because I told her she could blame me."
Teens today are learning from their mistakes and are realizing that there is no back button on social media. David Hill, chairman-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics' council on communications and media said, "Teens actually want and need limits on their behavior. They need to know you are dedicated to keeping them safe and looking out for them." Hill also advised that you sit down and your their favorite show; have them show you the websites they are interested in. you might be surprised at how much your teen welcomes your attention -- and how much you'll learn about what's going on in your child's brain by sharing some of that time.
How are we as adults/parents being role-models? It is our responsibility to educate our kids and the youth on the use of technology and social media, just as our parents did for us while we were growing up. Go out and learn about social media, join the sites our kids are on so we can better be prepared to handle the communication gaps that come along with popular social media sites.
http://mashable.com/2015/03/28/internet-communication-brandspeak/#jzFdgWyiHmqa
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-05-02/188395/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-hess/the-power-social-media-has-over-teen-lives_b_5582497.html
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/23/health/youth-social-media/
posted by Sparker24 at 6:08 AM
2 Comments:
I liked your intro paragraph - it's hard to think about how life would even be with out our beloved Social Medias. Your comment about how you expect instant responses - that's me too! It is interesting how Social Media and the ways of the world these days has programmed us into these beings who expect all things instantly. We could all slow down a little, I think!
I liked your statistics about how much we actually use Social Medias - those numbers were insane!! The statistics added credibility to your opinion!
8:45 PM
I like that you talk about new education programs that have been set into place to help teens protect themselves from the very beginning of their use in social media. There may be a lot of things that have changed from what communication used to look like, but it is a logical fallacy to think that just because it is changing or that it is "traditional" or "the way things used to be" that it is bad. There are new capabilities that pose new threats and dangers, but I would have liked to hear more of the things that are made better through social media. I love being able to send a message (through whatever social medium) and have it waiting for them when they wake up of when they can see it next. It saves me and them time. Great response overall and interesting insights.
10:26 PM
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