Social Networking–Why Are We Afraid?<<from EDUC628
May 3, 2008 
An article entitled, “Social Networking–Why Are We Afraid?” came across my reader yesterday. It was an article posted on Tech Learning. According to the article, social networking is the current scary word. However, it is interesting to note that it is only scary to the adults.
I think the reason adults are primarily afraid is that we have had enough life experience to realize that what is said about a person can have serious consequences. Students usually haven’t reached that level of thinking. Here’s an example. We use a program called SynchronEyes at school to monitor what students are doing on the school’s computers. I was looking at the library’s computers the other day when I say two students engaged in a conversation about a girl. They were discussing creating a MySpace page about her where they would say that “she is a whore” and “will ________ with anyone who wants to” and so on and so on. I captured their conversation and sent it on to the principal to deal with.
I think this type of activity is what scares adults most. Anyone can say anything about you on one of these pages…true or untrue….and you may never even know it has been said…..but remember how eager most people are to believe something negative! So I think this is why most adults shy away from these sights.
I teach fifth grade and my students range from 10-12 years old. Many of them have profiles on My Space and were using that space to talk badly about other students. These conversations were spilling over into the classroom and obviously causing some problems. My school sent home a letter regarding these social accounts. We informed parents that it was a site for 14 year olds or older and that all internet use by kids should be monitored. Many parents were astonished to see and read what their kids had been doing online.
I knew a lady a few years ago who told me her friends were telling her that her daughter had a MySpace page and it was pretty risky stuff….she just couldn’t believe it….until she got on the page one day…there was her 13 year old daughter’s picture in which she was giving the finger with both hands! Parent who think their kids do no wrong are already snowed and their kids can do anything!!!!
Cathy, we had the same problem at my school. I think this is were kids need ethics or morals taught, because they just don’t understand the Golden Rule.