Fear and the Internet

I have been really interested in the topic of fear as it relates to the internet and media in general. Whether fear is of violence in video games, chatroulette, or creepy cyberstalkers, I was particularly struck by how much of the coverage I found on LexisNexis regarding teens, children, and media used terrifying terms. Many of the headlines included terms like risks, addiction, safety, danger, and violence. There were the occasional stories of the way that technology has allowed teens to do new and great things, but the overall effect I got was the need for protection and limits for addition.

As my earlier post explained, I am not a huge personal internet user. However, throughout this class and with the new media-friendly glasses I am trying on, my first instinct when I hear teens and media is definitely not fear for their safety. Instead, I think that with so much of our society in the U.S. and across the world participating in work, social interactions, and consumer purchasing through internet mediated programming and resources, it is only fair to educate and expose students to effective ways to create and participate in the media filled world around us.

In so many of the articles written, the everyday aspect of many internet and media uses is ignored for the sensationalized dangers of the internet age. For example, my internet use on a daily basis involves visiting the UIUC website to check on my classes, checking my e-mail, reading a few articles at the New York Times site and catching up on an occasional television show on hulu. None of these things causes me any fear and is in fact pretty mundane. (I am even embarrassed to type it because it is so boring.) I am not trying to minimize the real risks and dangers that are present with the internet and other media outlets, however I am just trying to point out the differences between the stories that are prevalent and the realities of many user's experiences.

I am realizing that I am converting to the ideas of this class particularly the idea that media use is already a pervasive part of daily interactions in 2010 and teaching children and teens useful, productive, and playful ways of participation will be of great benefit to them as they navigate their future. An approach that is so concerned with safety will quickly be encountering fear from all sides with little hope for the ways media can positively impact and engage children. From my own experience, if I had ignored all the things I was told to fear as a child, I would never live in the city of Chicago, ride the train to work by myself, read any books that looked at religion in a critical light, or travel out of the country. I understand that there are real safety concerns and issues, but there are also great ways of communication, learning, and interaction with a world that is no longer limited to our physical locations, but can span miles in a single click.