The Internet...Yay or Neh?

This post is in response to a video (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/) concerning today's children and their lives on the internet. My own ideas revolve around the thoughts of two other bloggers:

Jimmy at http://jimbosblog-jimmy.blogspot.com

and

Bill at http://wcomisk2.blogspot.com
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How does the internet affect our society today? What role does it play with young people? There is a vast range of opinions regarding the internet, but they are all brought back to the same question: Does it positively or negatively influence today's youth?

After watching this weeks video (link above), two of my classmates posted their own opinions found at the links above. Jimmy looks at the internet and sees the positives. To a certain extent, I do agree. I cannot deny that the internet offers unparalleled opportunities to easily and instantly keep in touch with and communicate with friends that may be otherwise difficult to reach. Jimmy goes on to state that the internet can also help a young person that is less social reach out and express themselves in a way that they would be unable to do in a normal setting. Here is where I see differences in our opinions.

I have always been very interested in understanding and observing the dynamics of personal interaction. I have come to believe that technology, while offering many communicative benefits, serves to deteriorate personal interaction or face-to-face skills. If a student who is less social is now ONLY able to express himself/herself online, then I worry that he/she has lost the ability to do so in person. Not only that, but I worry that this expressed identity is somewhat of an invention, or a wishful self image. If so, I am a firm believer that the results can be unhealthy for that child. Yes, much of tomorrow's world is predominantly online, but nothing can replace one's ability to interact with another person face-to-face. We cannot, then, afford to misplace value in social skills.

Bill's opinions conflict sharply with Jimmy's. Bill is no fan of the internet, and considers many of its features to be a negative influence on today's youth. He skims the surface of this idea of projecting a fake identity through the internet, and expresses frustration with how value is placed in feeding this identity and shaping it into something you're not. In addition, it can and almost always does serve as a major distraction during important work time.

I think that Bill bring up some good points, however I still do not think my opinion of the internet is quite as strong. I feel that one must realize that there are both positives and negative about growing up online. You cannot doubt that today's student has an amazing advantage by having almost limitless resources at his fingertips. Simply put, EVERYTHING is a click away. One teacher, after expressing his acceptance of students finding and adapting ideas and summaries online into their assignments, was even asks if he is saying that cheating is OK. He responded with no, but one must evaluate whether or not the internet is depriving students of original thought.

It is extremely difficult to say definitively whether the internet is a positive or negative influence on today's children. We see examples from the video like Autumn Edows, who seemed to find her own self confidence and self image through reinventing herself on the internet. We then see a story like the young anorexic girl who said that her real self is only found online - that who she plays in real life is nothing more than a cover...a false identity. This cannot be healthy. In the end, I think I see the internet as a tool that, in order to have a positive result, need to be used correctly. I do not think that it can replace personal interaction in any form, but I do think that it can serve as an incredible resource. Students must never sacrifice their own original thought, nor their ability to interact with those around them in the real, unplugged world.