The Us Generation?
Andy Carvin of learning.now disputes the notion that Internet social-networking tools are to blame for the growing level of narcissism among young people. On the contrary, he argues, sites such as MySpace and YouTube are more about community than self-centeredness:
Sure, some people are there for vanity or proto-celebrity purposes, but most people are there for us, not me. They’re communities where people come together to find each other and bond over likeminded interests. They’re communities where people reinforce interpersonal relationships through sharing and creating content.
As with most new technologies, that is, it’s all in how you use them.
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Comments
I agree with Andy. I have hear my students talk about these communities as if they were more important to them than the city they live in. And you know what, in some ways they are. I have always been skeptical about myspace and other social network-communities because I didn't know what they really were. So, which is natural I feared what didn't know.
I took the leap and joined a couple of communities and you know what, my kids were right, it's cool.
The more popular sites are blocked by our school filter system, but I did find a new website just for teachers to use with students, it is called TeacherTube.com. It is new so the content is shallow but it is very promising.
Check it out.
Posted by: Ken | March 18, 2007 6:45 PM