The Internet Generation
How will social media shape our lives….
I read a report today how schools in the UK are going to teach children how to use social media websites such as Twitter, MySpace etc. I’m not entirely sure what they have in mind for the lessons but I cannot help but think the kids will already know more than the teachers! As this is basically a pastime how much information do they need to have? I liked to be Starsky and Hutch in my childhood but nobody gave me a lesson on it!
Joking aside, there is a lot being made of how (in the UK) more people are staying indoors and ’socialising’ on the internet rather than going out to pubs, clubs, restaurants etc and meeting people face to face. This could have something to do with the fact that a lot of people simply cannot afford to socialise any other way but I do believe people on the whole have become more insular than they were twenty or thirty years ago. I live in a small village with a dozen or so houses in my immediate vicinity but I only know seven people by name. In all the years I have lived here I haven’t seen anyone other than myself socialise with their neighbour. Social media websites have become incredibly popular but is there a danger of them becoming a constant in our lives rather than an occasional ‘port of call’ ?
There are the upsides of course, this blog being a prime example!! Networking is an invaluable tool and I have gained many new ‘friends’ through internet networking. For me it’s a question of balance, I have said on numerous occasions how lucky I feel to have the array of visitors that I have to the blog and the insight that all of you who comment give to your part of the world. From a food point of view I have learnt such a lot, particularly from an American perspective and that is what makes the internet a wonderful thing, it makes the world a smaller place for those who, perhaps cannot travel and would never have the opportunity to experience new sights, peoples and foods.
There is another side to this, as more and more children become fascinated with the internet, spending more and more time gaming, chatting on MSN etc what impact will that have on them as they progress through their teens and into the workplace? Is there a danger that children will take longer to build the social skills needed for an adult environment in the workplace? How will this affect employers such as myself in the hospitality industry?
What do you reckon? Am I wide of the mark? Can I look forward to a new generation of young chefs who want to work hard, give up a social life in the name of food and travel and take a b********g every time they burn something?
It’s over to you guys!! Come on-socialise with your online buddies!!!
The internet will destroy and change a lot of things but on the whole the upside will be much greater than the downside.
I don’t believe that there are any great number of people who don’t go out at night because they rae now on the internet although it always comes up as an issue.
If anything people socialize more - just in a different way.
As to children, it is up to parents to ration computer ands XBox time to a reasonable level - left to decide for themselves many children will never move away from the screen.
As with all things in life, it’s a sensible balance
Cheers
Rod
March 26, 2009 @ 8:22 am
Miles,
I recently came across some work by US scientist, author and lecturer Cliff Stoll. He is a passionate advocate of taking computers out of schools altogether. This sounds a rather radical but he does make some valuable points.
He says, “In my visits to schools, I don’t find children who are ill-at-ease behind a computer screen. I do find lots of kids who cannot read analytically, who do not read books, who cannot write legibly, who cannot assemble a 250-word essay. But I do not see many kids who can’t use a computer.”
He’s a very engaging chap and he clearly wears his heart on his sleeve in terms of education. Interestingly, he’s also a former physics student of the late Robert Moog. There’s an excellent 18 minute lecture on Youtube (which I won’t link to but isn’t hard to find) which touches a little on this very subject.
Personally, you won’t find me on Bebo, Myspace, Facebook, etc. The internet for me is a tool to learn things that I wouldn’t otherwise be taught, to see things that I wouldn’t otherwise see, but when it replaces day-to-day experiences that simply require you to step out of the front door then something is dreadfully wrong.
GDave
March 26, 2009 @ 12:49 pm
Miles,
I had previously written a very long piece on this subject but was interrupted and forgot the spam protection… sadly it got ‘flushed’ down the ethereal lavatory and somebody somewhere in another planet will get it instead
Suffice to say I agree with all of you in that moderation is generally best and I share GDave’s view about youngsters and their relationship with computers. I wonder what people say to each other in some of these media sites when they haven’t been anywhere or experienced much of life. Once or twice I’ve mistakenly popped into one where the conversation consisted of one liners written in terrible English…. quite what the contributors get out of this I’m not sure but it’s probably their only contact with the outside world. Let’s not forget that young minds are very gullible so this form of social interaction has it’s dangers because it’s such a secretive pass-time. Mainly though, it is the fact that they are not as comfortable with human contact which worries me. At some point these youngsters are going to be applying for jobs and most will have to learn to become part of a team. I’m having trouble getting the message across that not everyone is going to be Bill Gates or work in computer animation…. which at the moment seems a very popular career choice.
Cid
March 26, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
We’re in the midst of a full-on blizzard over here. Yesterday was beautiful, today everything is at a stand-still. We’re expecting up to 18 inches of snow in town and several feet up in the mountains. I’m not leaving the house today as everything is closed, canceled, or buried. In fact, Fairbanks (wonder dog of the north) is happily curled up by my feet. He’s not even sure he wants to be outside in this weather.
Okay Miles, I’m going to take some time and weigh in on this subject as I find it fascinating.
But first — Cid, my sympathies to you for your run-in with Miles’ spam police. Nasty bunch, I know. I’ve fallen victim to their numbers game on many occasions. I actually wonder if that isn’t Miles’ evil plan to keep his more loquacious guests in check.
And GDave, isn’t Clifford Stoll a riot?! Always bouncing around, literally jumping around while he talks. He’s definitely “out there.” But at the same time, rather profound in some of his observances. He talks about how (if not controlled) being online isolates people from those around them. How the internet takes people out of their communities. He’s also a computer guy (and astrophysicist), so he sees the beneficial side as well. By the way, he’s the guy who many years ago caught that German kid who was hacking into US government computers and selling secrets to the KGB. Interesting character.
I agree with everyone’s sentiments here, the internet is a wonderful tool if used with respect and moderation (of course, I couldn’t live without my Mac laptop and wireless internet connection).
Having said that, I have no time for twittering and all that other stuff. I keep getting these emails from people I hardly even know asking if I want to follow them on Twitter and read their Tweets?
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT?
All of this twitter twatter myspace stuff does stifle creativity in kids and like all of you have alluded to in one way or another, will probably have an impact on how they interact in real time with real people, especially when they grow up and are expected to hold down a job.
As for grownups, social media (YouTube) became a very effective political weapon during our last presidential campaign. Obama definitely had the upper hand with that. The Vatican even launched its own YouTube channel. It’s everywhere. I also think the internet has played a huge part in the current slow death of print media. I’d much rather read the MC blog each morning than the dire financial news in the local newspaper.
Melissa
P.S. Miles, what were you doing watching Starsky & Hutch in England? Did you love the Ford Torino? What about The Dukes of Hazzard?
March 26, 2009 @ 9:00 pm
Melissa,
Daisy Dukes legs..don’t get me started! For me I probably started as Evil Kenievel before going onto Starsky and Hutch. I watched them all but by the age of twelve I think M*A*S*H was my favourite. I miss those times, I looked forward to a half an hour episode each week, often the humour was a little too grown up for me but I loved it. I also loved to watch programmes on wildlife, anything factual really if my parents let me stay up late enough!
I know I sound very old but ‘back then’ children used their imaginations more, we all played games, roll plays etc. Now you have the latest technology at your disposal which takes much of the imagination that reading a book invites you to do.
I’m all for advances in technology but I can’t help but feel we’ve lost some of our innocence along the way.
Miles
March 26, 2009 @ 10:42 pm
Cid,
A great comment, it’s not easy is it? The problem is that a large majority of school leavers are going to have to take on jobs which do involve manual work amongst groups of fellow workers so social interaction skills are imperative.
Balance, is everything.
Miles
March 26, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
GDave,
You are quite right, basic English is suffering as a result of our shift towards the computer keyboard. I wonder how many English children/adults know when Microsoft (for example) auto correct their typing to accomodate the US spelling of certain words. I bet they don’t!
Pass the Bateman’s
Miles
March 26, 2009 @ 10:53 pm
Rod,
I’m impressed, a conservative view.
Well done! Seriously though a lot is down to parental values and how they perceive a child’s upbringing to be. A childhood spent eating junk food in front of a screen cannot be right and the knock on effects of that are all to plain to see.
Miles
March 26, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
Miles
absolutely !
Technology evolves and life moves on.
Everything that we create has the opportunity to benefit us or set us back if abused. In the case of parents that means monitoring what your children do.
I think traditional educational values have to change and we must accept that with information technology being so readily available because of the internet knowledge is no longer what it was.
Rod
March 27, 2009 @ 8:43 am
Miles,
One more question — do you have access to the Planet Earth series? It’s amazing.
Melissa
March 27, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
Melissa,
Certainly do, Sir David Attenborough I believe?
Wonderful television.
Miles
March 27, 2009 @ 10:20 pm