Summative

Although I only had one reply to my last blog post, it was long and I really enjoyed receiving this feedback and have decided to reflect upon just the one anyway. Colin (who commented) is a Dad, and getting his perspective on these topics is very interesting and makes me think of things from a different viewpoint. This comment gave me a new perspective, I had mentioned that toddlers and tiaras related to creating an online identity because they are both "made up" and these children act a certain way when they are in their own worlds, whether it be at a pageant in front of judges, or in the online social media world. I especially liked when Colin had brought up the point that this has to do with control that the parents have, in the pageant aspect they have full control over all the decisions the children make, their dress, makeup and hair. Meanwhile on the Internet they have little to no control over what their children are doing and the children can control their online identity. I don't know which is scarier? There has to be a happy medium. Colin pointed out in his blog, you can't be in control over everything your child does if you want to maintain a healthy relationship with them. Rather than focusing on whether the government or a higher power has access to my account and information wasn't my main concern, as they wouldn't have too much to find. As just an average person, if the government wants to see what I Google the most, or target what I purchase online, I'm really okay with that. We both agreed that it is more necessary to be aware of what you are posting in relation to how you represent yourself. Others may interpret something differently than you expected, because you can't hear the tone of voice, and they may take it out on context. Another idea that we both agreed on was that children may not be mature enough to realize what should and should not be shown online. Children are extremely smart (most know how to work social media better than their parents) and so, I believe that we should educate children on their choices, as social media is a huge phenomenon now, so they don't have to suffer with the consequences later on in life. I think as I have grown up, even though my parents warned me over and over about Facebook and privacy, I myself have matured into being careful about what I post online. Perhaps because of all the talk about potential employers looking at your Facebook, and hoping to have a career in my near future.

Thanks for listening! Amanda