Growing Up Online

In today's technological age, it is easy to get swept up in the internet. With so many features targeting so many various demographics, anyone is susceptible. The young, gullible users, however, are far more apt to spend the majority of their free time indulging in online services. The problem with this is that these kids don't separate the online world from the real world. Their online excursions become an extension of their own identity to which they become absorbed and addicted.

Myspace capitalizes on this with a minor invasion of privacy. On these online social networking sites, users can highlight their interests and hobbies on the internet. While able to find other people with similar interests, they also leave themselves open to various advertisements and emails. These seem miniscule, but they don't realize how marketers are viewing their profile at all times, ready to pounce on them with ads for individual products similar to their interests. On my facebook page, I have my allegiance to the Jets listed, and not surprisingly, I have ads for nflshop.com consistently appearing when I log in.

Another danger in Myspace is how people feel defended behind their online facade. At Morristown HS, two girls got into a verbal altercation on the networking site. They consistently retorted each other's comments, bashing each other with posts on each other's pages, but never confronted each other verbally in school. Kids in the school would intently follow the argument, wondering how much this could possibly escalate. Without any face-to-face confrontation, the insults became larger and larger, so the first meeting between this girls ended up being a brawl in the cafeteria of the school. The monitor defense allowed this fight to grow far past where it should have, and these girls were almost expelled as a result.