Question 3

Danah Boyd, a PhD student at the School of Information (SIMS) at the University of California, Berkeley, published this article on February 19, 2006.

"Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace"

This article by Danah Boyd caught my interest as it explores MySpace and its social ramification on the youth of today.
Danah Boyd has been following MySpace since it was launched in 2003.
In this article Boyd begins with an overview and background of MySpace and discusses the moral panic instigated by the media against such chat-rooms. Boyd recognises that there are risks involved for the users, however she chooses to put her fears aside in an attempt to give an objective account of MySpace. In her conclusion she reinforces the importance of recognising the relevance of MySpace and to respect youths thirst for finding self-identity.

Boyd is dedicated to understanding the social aspect of online interaction. She states the fears that some parents are experiencing. She notes that each youth generation needs to find an individual identity and parents of each generation seem to forget their own struggle for individuality when they were this age. Adults often dismiss the significance of popularity dynamics by denying its importance in the development of resilient individuals.
MySpace seems to offer a new and different way of finding ones identity although as shown in this article not all youth find this media satisfactory. Many say it is ‘lame’ and that they have better things to do, however they still retain an account with MySpace in order to keep up with the latest trends within their peer group.
When MySpace started members needed to be 18+. After a while sixteen year olds were welcomed, then fourteen year olds joined up. It is at fourteen that teenagers are capable of abstract thinking, according to Piaget and Steiner so at that age the need to explore further a field is understandable and even necessary.
This article suggests how parents, through their fears, can be controlling in every sphere of the teenager’s life. They have provided computers for their teenagers to use so that they can avoid more dangerous public spaces. The new technology has given youth an opportunity to create new interstices of their own controlled space within their own homes, the very area previously considered exclusively controlled by adults. Youth do not so much recognise their own room as their private space for it is part of parent-controlled space, however in the chat-rooms of virtual space they can ‘hang out’ with their peers in a space that they consider theirs.
Teenagers instinctively know that peers play a major role in their development of a social worldview. They have a need for social interaction. Whether it be in ‘virtual-online’ space or in the physical realm, they need to relate to their own age group in order to shape their social development. Modern technology allows them to participate in “full-time always-on intimate communities” that did not exist for their parents.
Youth love and need to push the boundaries. Parents and teachers have the responsibility to inform and create a safe environment for the children to develop socially, emotionally and intellectually. Vygotsky recognises that social interaction plays a major role in cognitive development (ZPD). Andrew Fuller who wrote Raising Real People, Creating a Resilient Family discuses the different styles of parenting and their effects, especially on teenagers. It reinforces Boyd’s comments about the social interaction that is needed for youth. Fuller is able to give some insight as to the effect on youth of different parenting styles. His research has shown that youth need to connect in communities in order to develop resilience to face the future. Home and the school environment provide important learning communities, however today’s youth are developing another in virtual space.
As adults we can try to be open to this new way of making connections with others, however teenagers need to be made aware of certain negatives that have been proved to exist.
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald of July 10, 2006, named Online and on Alert, reported by Paul Lewis and Kylie Davis, states in bold characters 40 per cent of teenagers would potentially meet in person someone they have “met” online. If this is true it is an alarming statement for teachers and parents. The interviewed student shared that he and his friends had experienced a few incidents of being approached by possibly undesirable persons, however as he considers himself and his friends to be ‘savvy networking users’ they would readily delete unwanted offers of friendship.
The risk of our youth being preyed on by pedophiles, which gets much media coverage, is not the only concern raised in the above article. It points out that there is no check of proof of age. Children considerably younger than fourteen could be unprepared and might share in such a ‘public space’ too much information about themselves, which could have negative repercussions. As well as this, children who enter these chat rooms may be exposed to ideas and concepts beyond their ability to process, and therefore could be disturbed by the content.

Virtual interactions will continue, and media will inform us and over dramatise for a good story, however adults need to remember their role as a parent and accept that teenagers will do everything they can to find their own identity. The biggest challenge is when do we as adults introduce such technologies and how do we inform youth without creating unnecessary fears. The safest way to protect youth is to be a guiding and authentic parent from the early childhood years and to build a trusting relationship within the family unit. The school community also need to be active in creating a safe yet challenging environment to give foundations that will prepare the youth towards responsible decisions through their love of learning.
The philosophy behind Rudolf Steiner Education recognises that the adult is there to facilitate the individual finding his or her own path, recognising that their destiny is independent of their parents and teachers. We have to remain aware that our children are not our property and must be allowed a certain freedom as they mature to find their own ways. As parents and teachers we need to be consciously responding to the importance of private space remembering youth also want, and have the right to have, physical space in which to ‘hang out’.
If we communicate with and learn from our youth while offering our own values the young people whom we hope to guide will have more flexibility to adapt themselves in positive ways in our technological age.