Skip to main content

Social Media: The Tool Parents Love to Hate

I just submitted a position paper on social media and teens.

And wow, did it bring me back. My friends and I were on the "cutting edge" of social media in high school. In 1997 or 1998, we had our AIM screen names and we were constantly logged on. (If you had dial-up, you were SOL with the away message.) Everyone knew your regular screen name, only the CHOSEN FEW knew your secret screen name, that you used when you were super busy or not in the "mood" to talk with anyone (but secretly, you were).

It brought me back to my dad, saying "GET OFF THAT IMPERSONAL FORM OF COMMUNICATION!" And me responding that it actually was super personal, since I was chatting with my *friends.*

It brought me back to getting random AIM messages that solely said "a/s/l" and me responding "Wow, you can't even say HI? Why would I want to talk to YOU." (It truly was the Wild West, and I was ready to fire away like Annie Oakley.) And God help someone if they just IM'ed with "are you hot." Cue feminist diatribe.

I read in danah boyd's It's Complicated: the social lives of networked teens - Teens often want to be with friends on their own terms, without adult supervision, and in public.

 That brought me back to quickly typing "POS POS POS" when my parents showed up...POS clearly meant "parent over shoulder." Let's be honest. I'm sure there was nothing interesting going on there that my parents would be interested in reading!

 Thanks to various social media platforms, I've found jobs (three of them); apartments and roommates (two of them); a husband (one of them); and even a best friend. We met through a friend meetup site, which is actually a VERY awkward story to tell people.

 I'll have to keep all these benefits in mind when my precious 3 year old and 1 year old are at the social media age. Because I KNOW I will be tempted to lock it alllllll down. Perhaps I should buy danah boyd's book and keep it ready on the shelf. Because, often, the biggest demons are the ones in our own heads.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

This week kicked off LBS 730: Managing & Evaluating School Library Programs. As far as I can tell, this course does not require blog entries. However, it looks like we'll have a ton of discussion posts/essays, and I'll post those here. The question this essay addresses: How much have the issues surrounding school libraries changed? Librarian at the card files at a senior high school in New Ulm, Minnesota, October 1974 Plus ça change... I explored with great interest the articles in Module Two that cover the history of school libraries. And while I read the articles expecting to learn about the halcyonic days of school librarianship, where school librarians were recognized and lauded for their role in schools…”plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.” For example, in “School Library: A Historical Perspective,” the following is written: “Although certification requirements were written, in many states, school districts often ignored them simply by not creati...
Post a Comment
Read more

All Good Things Must Come to An End...

We've reached the end of LBS 850! I enjoyed the class, diving deep into technologies for schools, and dabbling in cataloging...I do think the class experience is highly dependent upon who someone has as an instructor. Luckily, thankfully, Barb Fecteau at Salem State is an excellent, patient, and knowledgeable teacher, and she created a wonderful experience with an atmosphere conducive to learning and exploration. Here's a reminder of what the class was, so here's the course description for future me: LBS 850 - Emerging Technologies for Libraries 3   Credit(s)  This course presents tools and procedures that school library personnel implement to manage the ever-evolving organizational landscape. Course topics include basic strategies for dealing with, organizing and managing change professionally, new computer and internet-based methods of cataloging physical materials and web based applications that address libraries’ systemic needs. I started off the course feelin...
Post a Comment
Read more

A tool, a weapon, a hiding place...

I took Intro to Sociology in college and I remember thinking that parts of it were NONSENSE. My professor was saying that we all have different versions of ourselves. I must've been pretty darn authentic at 20, because I staunchly disagreed. As Popeye would say, "I yam what I yam." Now, I'm juggling identities of being a mom, an employee, a library school student. The roles of daughter and wife come easier...I feel like I can be a good wife and an employee, a good daughter and a student...but it's tough being a mom and an employee. Or a mom and a student. Or an employee and a student. And where does "friend" fit in there...? BUT...LUCKILY nowadays we have social media to segment all these little versions and present them compartmentalized, perfected and packaged for user consumption. I have three Instagram accounts: one for work, one personal (for friends & family), and one anonymous one that is struggling with its identity brand. Social me...
Post a Comment
Read more