The "MySpace Phenomenon"
by Nancy E. Willard
Across the country news reporters have published a deluge of articles concerning a web site called MySpace. Why have so many articles been written in concerning this one web site? What is MySpace? What are the concerns? And how can educators help to address the concerns?
Important youth protection guidelines for parents include:
- Make it clear to your child that you will be reviewing all public postings and will review private communications if you have any concerns that he or she may be not be making safe or responsible decisions.
- Make sure you know all of the social networking communities your child is registered on and the username your child is using. Periodically visit these communities to review what your child is posting. Also conduct a search on these sites to see what others may be posting about your child.
- Regularly discuss your child’s online activities with your child to assess his or her knowledge and effective decision-making skills and to seek to detect any concerns.
- If your child is "at risk" for any reason, consider installing monitoring software.
- Get together with the parents of your child’s friends and make some group agreements about appropriate sites, night-time use of the Internet, and reporting concerns.
- If your child has engaged in unsafe or irresponsible behavior, use this incident as a "teachable moment" to impart the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to make safe and responsible decisions.
MySpace is an example of a new online phenomenon, which is more appropriately called "online social networking." In online social networking environments, users register and establish a profile that provides personal information and photos. Then the user makes connections or links with other users who share interests or connections. Users engage in a variety of forms of communication and information sharing, which can include personal Web pages, blogs, and discussion groups.
MySpace is currently the most popular of several dozen online social networking communities. There are problems associated with MySpace, but MySpace itself is not the problem. In fact, MySpace has an excellent user agreement that seeks to prohibit inappropriate behavior, provides information on Internet safety and responsible use and, by all reports, is responsive in seeking to address individual concerns, as well as overall concerns. The reported concerns are common to all social networking environments, not just MySpace. A list of other online social networking communities is on Wikipedia under "List of Social Networking Websites."
Social sites are attractive environments for teens, as well as adults. Such sites present opportunities for self-expression and friendship building. Youth "playtime" in such environments is building skills that will be a foundation for career success in the 21 st century. Many teens are safely and responsibly engaged in such communities.
Three Factors of Concern
But there are legitimate concerns about youth involvement in these social networking communities. The concerns are grounded in three basic factors:
- These social networking communities are a gathering place for many teens. As we know from brain research findings, teens have immature frontal lobe development and, therefore, simply do not have the "hardwiring" necessary to consistently make well-reasoned, appropriate decisions. The lack of effective decision-making capacity is especially problematical in electronic environments, where it is more difficult to understand the relationship between actions and consequences. This is what I call "you can’t see me, I can’t see you." In online environments, the perception of invisibility (you can’t see me) and lack of tangible feedback (I can’t see you) interferes with the three key factors that help guide responsible decision-making – social disapproval, punishment, and the recognition an action has caused harm to others or self.
- Parents are not paying sufficient attention to what their children are doing online. There are a number of reasons for this: Parents may not have sufficient knowledge and technical skills. They may have misplaced reliance on "parental controls." They may have the notion that they should respect their child’s online privacy and fail to understand that these are public places. Or they may simply be unaware of the dangers and concerns and think that because their children are using a computer at home, they are safe and engaged in responsible behavior.
- Dangerous adults are also present in these environments. This includes sexual predators, child pornographers, hate group recruiters, and others. They are attracted to these communities because they are popular places for teens, some teens are not making safe decisions, and many parents aren’t paying attention. These very dangerous adults are masters at manipulating vulnerable youth.
Unsafe Activities
Teens are engaging in unsafe or irresponsible activities that include:
Safety and responsible use guidelines for students include:
- Be kind to others online.
- Think before you post. Material posted in these communities is public, could damage your reputation, or could be used to harm you.
- Take steps to protect yourself and others from bullying and harassment. Report these concerns to the Web site and to a trusted adult.
- Report to an adult if someone has posted threats of violence or self-harm. These threats could be real threats. Don’t post threats. Someone might take you seriously.
- Develop "stranger danger" detection skills. People online may not be who they seem. Develop a safety plan for meeting any online friend that is approved by your parent.
- Stop the predators. If you have been contacted by someone you think might be a sexual predator, report this to a trusted adult.
- Unsafe disclosure of personal information – providing potentially dangerous or damaging personal information, including personal contact information, sexually suggestive information or images (advertising for predators), intimate information about concerns or troubles they are facing in life (advertising for predators, leads to connections with other "at risk youth," and provides material for cyberbullies), or images or information about engagement in ill-advised, illegal, or stupid behavior, such as drinking, drug use, sexual activities, wild parties, and the like. Many teens appear to have no understanding that what they post in these communities is public, potentially permanent, and accessible by anyone in the world.
- Addiction – spending an excessive amount of time online, resulting in lack of healthy engagement in major areas of life — family, friends, school, homework, work, exercise, personal interests, and sleep. Internet addiction is a behavioral addiction. For many teens, addiction to engagement in these online communities is leading to school failure and other emotional concerns.
- Risky sexual behavior – becoming seduced by a sexual predator or child pornographer, self-producing child pornography, or making connections with other teens for sexual "hook-ups." Youngsters of both genders who post sexually suggestive photos or information, or discuss intimate personal information or difficulties they are having, are most vulnerable.
- Cyberbullying – being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material online or through a cell phone or engaging in other cruel actions. Cyberbullying is causing significant emotional harm to youth – resulting in depression, anger, school failure and avoidance, school violence, and youth suicide.
- Dangerous communities – "at risk" youth making connections with other "at risk" youth or adults to discuss and share information on committing suicide, anorexia or bulimia, hate group activities, gang activities, passing out games, bomb-making, hacking and the like. Involvement in these communities results in a shared belief in the appropriateness of potentially very harmful activities.
Issues for Educators to Address
Is it appropriate for students to be participating in the commercial social networking communities while at school? No. These sites are not educationally oriented sites. Given the degree of risk and waste of valuable resources, it is advisable that schools seek to limit all non-educational, entertainment use of the Internet, including social networking communities, through the district Internet system.
Can and should schools block access to these sites? Well, they can try. But there are lots of ways that innovative students can get around the blocks. A more comprehensive approach is necessary. This approach includes: A clear policy, strong focus on educationally valuable use of the Internet supported by curriculum and professional development (no Internet "recess"), student education about online safety and responsible use, effective monitoring, and appropriate consequences.
Should schools be concerned about off-campus Internet activities? Yes. The involvement in these communities may be negatively impacting student well-being and the quality of the school environment. Educators address issues of sex and drugs, when hopefully students are not engaging in these activities at school. It is necessary to add Internet risks to the list of issues schools should address educationally.
Many innovative teachers are establishing online environments similar to these social networking communities to support high quality instructional activities. It is necessary to take care in the use of such environments for instruction – including establishing clear standards for the kinds of material that can and cannot be posted, ensuring teacher preview of all materials prior to posting, and having an effective mechanism to respond to any concerns about material that has been posted. Involving students in these kinds of instructional activities provides an excellent vehicle to address the safety and responsible use concerns of such environments. Teachers who are interested in the instructional uses of this technology can find excellent information at Class Blogmeister http://classblogmeister.com/ .
Internet safety and responsible use is everyone’s concern, but is especially a concern for parents because most youth Internet use occurs at home. Schools, Internet sites, and educational programs will not work if the parents are not willing or are not informed as to how to monitor and provide guidelines for safe Internet usage at home. Schools can help in providing information and guidance to parents and encouraging their involvement in their children’s online activities.