…about my daughter’s behavior…and today's youth...
Evidently, my daughter is a pro at “Messing Around”!
As I read this article, I couldn’t help but think about the “strange” habits of my 12 year old daughter and how quickly the times have changed since I was her age (exactly 30 years ago).
The article describes “messing around” as “the beginning of a more intense, media-centric form of engagement. When messing around, young people begin to take an interest in and focus on the workings and content of the technology and media themselves…”In addition, activities that are included in messing around are “looking around, searching for information online, and experimentation and play with gaming and digital media production”.
These above quotes, as well as the rest of the article, describe her daily activities. For example, she is constantly on the computer searching for information for school projects or pictures and media clips for fun. For years she has been a big fan of “Charlie the Unicorn” and other strange media productions she and her friends uncover on the Internet (like clay figures bungee jumping and losing parts of their bodies). She would rather watch selections from U-Tube then watch a TV show. I can’t
even remember when she last watched regular TV.
Like many of her generation, the thought of turning in a well-written essay without some sort of Wordart or graphic enhancement is very foreign. On one school essay, she insisted on
Evidently, my daughter is a pro at “Messing Around”!
As I read this article, I couldn’t help but think about the “strange” habits of my 12 year old daughter and how quickly the times have changed since I was her age (exactly 30 years ago).
The article describes “messing around” as “the beginning of a more intense, media-centric form of engagement. When messing around, young people begin to take an interest in and focus on the workings and content of the technology and media themselves…”In addition, activities that are included in messing around are “looking around, searching for information online, and experimentation and play with gaming and digital media production”.
These above quotes, as well as the rest of the article, describe her daily activities. For example, she is constantly on the computer searching for information for school projects or pictures and media clips for fun. For years she has been a big fan of “Charlie the Unicorn” and other strange media productions she and her friends uncover on the Internet (like clay figures bungee jumping and losing parts of their bodies). She would rather watch selections from U-Tube then watch a TV show. I can’t
even remember when she last watched regular TV.Like many of her generation, the thought of turning in a well-written essay without some sort of Wordart or graphic enhancement is very foreign. On one school essay, she insisted on
downloading the actual Chick-fil-A logo, before the assignment could be considered complete (by her, I’m not sure if the teacher really wanted or appreciated the decoration). Like the authors of this study state “visual media become more deeply embedded in the everyday communication of young people”, and she exemplifies how important visuals and graphics are to this generation.
The article mentions that “messing around with new media generally involves social exchanges centered on new media and technology.” Once again, this is exactly what she does. She takes pictures, enhances them, takes video clips, exchanges these with friends as well as posting them on Facebook. She does this with one or two friends over (face2face) or while online in her virtual world. Like the children interviewed for this study, she is constantly changing her Facebook profile picture as well as continuously updating her status.
This article really reminds me that times have really changed. For example, while my 12 year old social life involved in-person contact with friends as well as telephone calls, she rarely uses the phone and never the landline. Her cell phone is used mostly for text messages or for keeping in touch with me. When she is not with her friends, she prefers to be on the computer where she is engaged in three to five different IM conversations while surfing the Internet, uploading pictures on Facebook, and playing on-line games. When she wants to watch a movie, she’d rather use the computer so she can watch and IM at the same time. This type of social contact I find difficult to understand, I’d rather talk to someone then write a message to them or chat on-line with them.
However, unlike Tony, one study subject, she hasn’t started her own small computer-based business…
The article mentions that “messing around with new media generally involves social exchanges centered on new media and technology.” Once again, this is exactly what she does. She takes pictures, enhances them, takes video clips, exchanges these with friends as well as posting them on Facebook. She does this with one or two friends over (face2face) or while online in her virtual world. Like the children interviewed for this study, she is constantly changing her Facebook profile picture as well as continuously updating her status.
This article really reminds me that times have really changed. For example, while my 12 year old social life involved in-person contact with friends as well as telephone calls, she rarely uses the phone and never the landline. Her cell phone is used mostly for text messages or for keeping in touch with me. When she is not with her friends, she prefers to be on the computer where she is engaged in three to five different IM conversations while surfing the Internet, uploading pictures on Facebook, and playing on-line games. When she wants to watch a movie, she’d rather use the computer so she can watch and IM at the same time. This type of social contact I find difficult to understand, I’d rather talk to someone then write a message to them or chat on-line with them.
However, unlike Tony, one study subject, she hasn’t started her own small computer-based business…
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