Chapter 9: Social Networks

Facebook is one of the tools that I feel I have mastered for the most part. I believe that this has really helped me to understand some of the concepts and applications we are learning. Facebook is what I would call both a community and a culture. Teaching digital citizenship through facebook is essential in the Interpersonal Dynamics class. We absolutely have to integrate this culture into our teaching dialogue and learn how help the younger generation learn to be civil online and offline. I think one of the issues regarding Facebook is that the youth of today are far more adept in using this social networking community. Without adult lessons in online social skills our kids are living in the wild wild west in a way. Our youth have entered this community without having knowledge of any social guidelines. Online communication also seems to allow people to feel shielded behind the computer screen limiting their ability to control impulses. I know that for me I may not have issues of manners on Facebook. But it does allow me to feel less inhibited about sharing wit and creativity.

One of the things I have been talking about for years is that adults NEED to access and learn Facebook because we need to understand this community of people. It is a PLACE, a community, and a culture that is new to adults but absolutely normal for kids. I am fascinated by it and love how I can connect with people all over the world, know what is going on with all my friends new and old. My daughter was able to know and converse with all of her incoming freshman class when going off to college. How much easier is that then how I was thrown into something so new scary when going away to college? She knew details about her roommates and got to know them before she even got there. I was amazed that she and one friend had become buddies on Facebook and were texting each other while we were waiting in the drop off car line for the dorms. They were both nervous and they connected before they even met. To this day her Facebook friend is one of her most intimate friends in the world. They stayed friends all through college and continue their relationship beyond that. How lucky she was to have that.