Online communication has had a major impact on the way teenagers communicate, form relationships and break up. I have two nieces that are teenagers and they are constantly either online, sending text messages or talking on the cell phone. During family events, they will be checking in on their friends and gossiping. They will even talk on the cell phone about what message to send to someone else online. This type of communication was not widely used when I was a teenager.
They seem to have far more casual friends. They share pictures, links, music and other online experiences with their friends. However, they seem detached in person and are always tethered to their online activity.
This takes away a lot from a real friendship. A new friend is only a mouse click away. The anonymity also makes them more bold. It is easier to break the ice online than to approach someone at a crowded dance, football game or other school activity for the first time (which was the main way of socializing when I was in high school).
The online communication also seems to breaking friendships easier. When something goes bad, it may be posted in a very public way that cannot be undone. In my younger niece’s junior high class, some people break up online or ridicule people on their Facebook page. Teasing and bullying is no longer limited to a small group. Everyone in the school learns about it, and it even becomes a form of entertainment and way to spread gossip.
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Maisy,
ReplyDeleteOnline communication has become more and more popular in regards to how we communicate in modern day society. This is a great concept discussed in Chapter 6 by Trenholm. I read an interesting article that discusses email and it will continue to diminish with all the social networking advances in modern day technology. The author looks into the possibility of social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, taking over email communication.
It's interesting to look back on how our communicative ways have evolved over time. It is mind boggling when we consider how we can potentially evolve from here.
Maisy,
ReplyDeleteYou are completely accurate in your assessment of the online phenomena.
I do not know how many times I have been with some friends who are present, or next to me, but their mind is all over the place because they are texting, chatting or emailing on their cell phone/pda.
I was hoping that this would be a passing fad, but I really am afraid that these habits will stick to our generation for a very long time.
It is a concern when such small actions such as posting one's status can turn into massive gossip or backbiting tools.
Who knows many of these instances of cyber-bullying will lead to tarnished reputations and irreconcilable differences.
Excellent post!