Relating to Growing Up Online

The "Growing Up Online" video is a recent, and in my opinion, extremely relatable perspective on what it is like to be a young person during the internet revolution. As a student, the internet plays a great role in our experience in school. We use the internet as our main source of information and communication. This brings up a wide array of issues that the video discusses. One of these issues that we are faced with is plagiarism. The internet's vast information also allowed for a great possibility of plagiarism. Since student's were so much more skilled in using the internet, it was initially very difficult for teachers and professors to catch this. Interestingly however, there has been a recent action taken against this. Turnitin.com is a website that the video mentions, which is a tool that detects plagiarism, and is something that professors here at Marist College have been using in some of my classes. I think it is a great way to keep students from using other people's work as their own, while professors can rest assured students' works are original.

Another topic the video raises is young people keeping "online lives". They have Myspace and/or Facebook to make an online identity and are able to communicate with anyone anywhere. I found myself relating to the family that talked about how their parents wanted to know the passwords to their Facebook accounts, and how private they considered that information to be. I remember first creating a Facebook account when I entered college, and my mom being so curious as to what I was doing. When she would enter the room, I'd exit the screen because I would never want her to see the pictures of me and my friends. I think this is something that many young internet users can relate to.

On a very serious note, this "online identity" that is kept hidden from loved ones has on rare occasion lead to some of the gravest of circumstances. "Growing Up Online" talked about a young boy, teased in school, to use the internet as an escape. He was able to go online and talk to people who he felt could relate to him. One of these people he began chatting with ended up providing him with the information and "support" to take his own life. His parents, completely unaware of what was going on, were shocked to find that the boy hung himself. Upon further investigation, the boy's father was able to get an inside look at what drove the boy to do what he did. This situation reminded me of something going on here at Marist College. With the recent popularity of the website juicycampus.com, a website that allows students to anonymously bash eachother, I began to wonder about the effect this could have on the well-being of the students whose names are posted. With people encouraging others to kill themselves, it is scary to consider that this anonymous slander could be enough to push someone over the edge.

In all, "Growing Up Online" gives a very realistic look into the various ways we as young people use, and are affected by the online culture. Between research, e-mail and instant messaging, and social networking sites, the world wide web is an indispensable tool for us. The video however, shows several dangers on great spectrum of severity, all important to acknowledge. It was suggested in the video that the key to this internet revolution is to not fear it, but rather be educated on it. I could not agree more. It is essential that young people be socialized in an educated manner when it comes to the internet. As the internet grows to play a greater role in everyone's lives, not just those of the young people, we can be learn from past mistakes and become educated and efficient internet users.