Growing Up Online

When Frontline ran a story on PBS about the generation of now growing up online they covered stories from actual people and teenagers on the internet. The producers of this documentary are Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio. When interviewing Anne Collier, about the internet she stated, “It’s not going to go away. It’s not a passing fad. And nobody’s really in charge.” This seems true to a point. People are in charge of what they put on the internet, but that information could go anywhere. Thousands of people can see what you write or post on the internet and just because you delete it, doesn’t mean it’s no longer out there. That’s just one of the dangers that are on the internet. Any one could be a potential danger of people trying to contact you like a stocker, or even cyber bullies. Like in the case with thirteen year old Ryan. His father stated, “The computer and the internet were not the cause of my son’s suicide. But they helped- I believe they helped amplify and accelerate the hurt and the pain he was trying to deal with that in person, in the real world.” He had been bullied over the internet and he couldn’t handle it. While other teens find support online. Jessica hunter was one of two people in this interview that used the internet for escape. She became Autumn Edows who loved the attention she got when she started posting racy pictures online. Autumn quoted, “I didn’t feel like myself, but I liked the fact that I didn’t feel like myself. I felt like someone completely different. I felt like I was famous.” Sara was another teen who was as she stated, “When I’m online, I’m the real person. I’m completely 100 percent me.” Sara was a girl who had an eating disorder. She went online for inspiration or to just talk about it. Sara stated, “It’s like, like part of me is completely Ana and part of me is anti-Ana.” Ana is referring to anorexia. In ways there are dangers out there on the internet but most teens know what they are. As a study on sexual predators on line was done. The results stated, “The study has confirmed what many kids have been saying all along, that most of them know to ignore unwanted solicitations they receive on the Internet.”
If I were to write about how the internet and how it has affected me I would talk about how I’m willing to tell people more when I know who they are, but don’t have to speak to them. I’ve broken friendships and how the world I live is has started to evolve and blend with the media in so many ways. Without the internet it would be so much harder for me to do the work and writing I do. And I’d never talk to some of my closest friends. But also, how the internet has helped me become a stronger person after some pretty rough parts of my life. The internet has hurt me by some of the things I have posted but, it’s beginning to make sense. The important message would be to watch out for what you do post or blog about because in the end it can hurt you. Like Autumn posting photos of herself in lingerie and the school that went to the concert. Not only can people in your town find it, but people that could decide whether or not you can get into college or a job. Teens do make mistakes, and as Danah Boyd sais, “And we have found kids who have engaged in risky behavior on line. Fact is, they’ve in a lot more risky behavior off line.” The only reason why we pay so much attention to what’s on line is because it stays there, and more people can see it than in the real world off line.