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October 4, 2007
About faceBoardBuzz was intrigued by this article in today's edition of USA Today. Apparently, Facebook, the social networking site that's a favorite among teens, has now tapped the parent market too.
"Just a year ago, teens and twentysomethings pretty much had Facebook, along with other social networks, all to themselves." But not so anymore. Parents (and other adults) are logging onto the site themselves, and this is complicating their relationships with their teens.
Living in the world without the usual social barriers between generations is causing a little discomfort for some and downright angst for others."Think about what it would be like if your mom or dad enrolled in your high school class," says Steve Jones, communications professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. "They don't belong there. That's the same feeling (children) have: 'This is ours. This belongs to me. This is not for parents.' "
The generation that grew up with the Internet has "this sense of 'This is not something you'll ever get. You won't understand what we're doing. You're going to ruin it. We'll never be ourselves if there is an adult around here.' "
Teens and tweens are also educating their parents about netiquette and other dos and don'ts of using Facebook.
Laura Benson, 17, of Huntington, W.Va., says she lets her mother see everything; they have a close relationship, and she has nothing to hide. But she still is sometimes embarrassed by her mom's Facebook faux pas.Take the time when her mother, Connie Benson, 50, got upset about a rude comment, including the f-bomb, someone had posted underneath a photo her mother had taken. (Most kids will tell you foul language is just part of the Internet culture.)
Laura advised her mother to ignore — and delete.
Her mom did delete it, but she hardly ignored it. She sent the offender a note and said, "I don't want to have any curse words on my site," Connie Benson says.
Are you curious about how your teens and tweens are spending their time online and on social networking sites? The news isn't as daunting as you might think. Check out NSBA's recent research, Creating and Connecting//Research and Guidelines on Online Social - and Educational - Networking for more information.
And if you're really hot for more information, why not attend NSBA's T+L Conference, October 17-19 in Nashville. It's a great way to learn the latest in education technology. Can't make it? Be sure to check out the conference blog regularly for what's new and exciting.
Posted October 4, 2007 4:00 PM | Education Technology
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