1501ART Essay

The meme of all meme’s: ‘Online-ism’-
Infecting today’s youth; or setting them up for a lifetime of knowledge?

The meme of all meme’s; sounds a bit outlandish doesn’t it? In terms of the description of the word…meme- an idea that functions in the brain the same way a gene or virus functions in the body. (Lecture Notes) it does seem a little bit out there and a bit more then a child should have to comprehend, but when you think about it, it really isn’t that crazy. Being online can and does fall into this category of ‘meme’. One may argue that it is merely just a phase today’s youth is going through, this need to be online, and it will surely pass, much like the ‘Baby Boom’. But likened to a virus, a meme can live within your system completely undetected. Children are catching onto this ‘virus’ very quickly, with a number of websites dedicated to children as young as 7 (Disney, nickelodeon, hi5 all have WebPages with interactive chat rooms and activities). This may not seem harmful, but each new media technology brings with it “great promise for social and educational benefits” and great concern for children’s “exposure to inappropriate and harmful content” (Wartell, Jennings)

Held up on such a high pedestal, it seems technology, which is not “something new, it is more ancient than the stone circles at Stonehenge” (Nye, p.6) has become something today’s society can no longer function without. In a world where children as young as 7 are using the internet, is today’s youth is rapidly becoming infected by this thing we call ‘online-ism’? Or is the internet setting them up to become more and more knowledgeable in most aspects of life?

Because of their ‘incredible ability to adapt’ (Tapscott, p.78) children have become known as increasingly knowledgeable in relation to the internet and today’s technological advances. This paper reflects on children and the interactive world they revel in and whether or not they are being infected by this ‘online-ism’ or simply just adapting to the environment that surrounds them in the form of new technology.

A recent study by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), surveying 751 family households with children between the ages of 8 and 17, showed that “about 91 per cent have internet access, 76 per cent have access to broadband services and 77 per cent have an electronic gaming console in the home.” (Morello) The survey also found “the average child watches about two hours of TV a day and is on the internet about 1.25 hours a day”. These revealing pieces of information are more often then not discarded and not used to inform parents, teachers and even children themselves of the increasing amount of time children are spending wandering around different realms of virtuality.

Too much time in front of a screen can deprive children of time for organized sports and social activities that are beneficial to a child’s development. This development may be affected by a child’s increasing desire to hop online and play around the virtual world. “Excessive, unmonitored use of computers, especially when combined with use of other screen technologies, such as television, can place children at risk for harmful effects on their physical, social, and psychological development. Children need physical activity, social interaction, and the love and guidance of caring adults to be healthy, happy, and productive.” (Behrman, Shields) In addition, children may be exposed to violent, sexual, or commercial content online, which can have long-term negative effects on them. The healthy use of computer technology in the home and at school can only be achieved if the children’s exposure to online content is carefully monitored and certain limits are set their time online. The possibility that a child’s exploration on the Internet might lead to inappropriate content, aggressive advertising, or even dangerous contact with strangers has given rise to a number of efforts to create “safe zones” for children—that is, places in cyberspace where children can be protected from both marketers and predators. (Montgomery)

Social development is “the process by which children develop role-taking skills, learn to comprehend the motivations and consequences of behaviors, and come to understand human relationships in the social world” (Alexander, Lemish, Waretlla, p33-34) with online interaction, it may be hard for a child to develop normal relationships, as there is a physical barrier between them and their acquaintances. It is clear that e-mail and chat rooms have changed how young people communicate with each other. Also, computer and video games are a source of conversation and interaction among many children today, so in a way, the virtual world may act as a platform on which, relationships can be formed.
In results from a survey released by Pay TV Company ‘Cartoon Network’, in which children aged 7-15 participated in, it was revealed that 62% of these children used the internet daily and a whopping 96% watch television daily. Along with these results, children were asked who they most want to be like, with parents coming miles ahead of sport stars, musicians and movie stars. (Beveridge). This response shows that children between the ages of 7 and 15 are instilled with the realistic notion that their parents are great role models. And in a world where the internet brings us closer and closer to our favourite sport, movie and music stars, it is comforting to know that children still hold their parents higher than these performers and athletes.
Virtual reality is seen as the “technology to change the world, or better yet, replace it” (Moser) So maybe children of today aren’t so much as infected by online-ism, but merely learning from the information it brings and adapting to the ‘new world’. Tapscott suggests that the “virtual world contains so much of the worlds knowledge”, no longer do kids have to go outside and turn over rocks looking for insects to play with, they can just hop onto the world wide web and ‘Google’ or ‘Wiki’ something, and in an instant (depending on your internet connection) the information is right there before your eyes.
References

The Australian Communications and Media Authority “Media and Communications in Australian Families 2007”

Beveridge, John. 2007. “Tech-Savvy Kids Logging on” http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,22937106-5014116,00.html

Behrman, Richard; Shields, Margie.
“Children and Comupter Technology: Anaysis and Recommendations” www.futureofchildren.org

Lecture Notes New Communications Technology Week 2.

Montgomery, Kathryn C. “Children’s Media Culture in the New Millennium: Mapping the Digital Landscape”

Morello, Vincent. 2007. “Kids Have Healthy Tech Use” http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E6DC1E3AF931A15754C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Moser, Mary Anne. “Immersed in Technology – Introduction” MIT Press, Cambridge 1996.

Nye, David. “Technology Matters: Questions to Live With”. MIT Press, Cambridge. 2006. “Book Review” Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, Vol.5, No.2: pp. 132

Wartella, Ellen; Jennings, Nancy. “Children and Computers: New Technology- Old Concerns”. www.futureofchildren.org.

Wartella, E., Alexander, A., Lemish, D. The mass media environment of children. American Behavioral Scientist (September/October 1979) 33–34.