Growing Up Online Summary

The Video “Growing Up Online” by Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio is about how kids today are growing up in a much different world than their parents did. Kids are creating new worlds online; not only new worlds but new identities as well. Kids are able to still talk to their friends after school within the comfort of their homes. Their lives are completely different from the lives they live when they don’t have a screen in front of them. Kids claim that the internet makes them open up more and be themselves because no one will judge them. As where in real life kids have to put on a show to be cool. Facebook and Myspace are the leading online social networking programs available to kids. Both cites combine have about 160 million members. Who can have the most friends online seems to be a competition between kids. They admit that they may have 2,000 friends but only talk to and know about 200 of them. Parents are concerned because there are online predators who my pursue their children. According to Dretzin and Maggio, many internet experts agree with the kids that “[e]veryone is panicking about sexual predators online. That’s what parents are afraid of, That’s what parents are paying attention to” says Parry Aftab and internet security expert. Since their child’s life online is so private, parents don’t know how to protect their kids from the bad things they encounter while online. Another major threat is the information kids can get about dangerous things such as how to commit suicide or how to get tips on how to be thinner and stay thin. Teachers in schools are also trying to figure out how to capture the attention of their students. Teachers claim that it is difficult because students are all used to being entertained all of the time and need to connect with students in a more technological way.

If I were to write a story about the impact of the internet and digital media on my own life I would write about the power that the media has on girls and women about having to be pretty, thin and believe that this is the image that people want to see. Almost every commercial or pop up add had some version of a beautiful or half naked girl on them. This makes girls think that this is what people want to see. And especially at the age when teen girls are growing and wanting to be wanted. I think this also has a major effect on why girls put inappropriate pictures online of themselves. Its because that’s what they see on TV commercials and movies. When I watch TV or go to a movie I have never not seen guys comment on the “hot chicks” on the screen. Girls notice their reaction and think “I want that attention, I want to be hot like that girl.” Also there is a saying that “sex sells” and that’s why all of these girls are being advertise to sell products or are cast for movies. Guys fantasize about them and girls wish they were them. I wonder what it would be like if in the place of every hot girl on a commercial or movie their were really hot half naked guys; I wonder if the tables were turned would guys be insecure too? I am not saying that guys do not feel the pressure to smell good, look good, or be attractive due to the medias influence, I just think that it is more in your face when it comes to women and how it effects a young girls life. It is every where, constantly reminding them that they need to be someone else. They can do this online.