WHAT IS MYSPACE?
So, what's the big deal about MySpace? Is it bad? Is it good? Why are teens going there in droves? And what can parents do about it?
Let us begin by describing the monster. MySpace, the largest social networking site around, is owned by the News Corp. (Rupert Murdoch's company) and as of this writing, has around 109 million members. Although it is reputed to have been started by Tom Anderson, a 29-year-old musician and entrepreneur, the real scoop from tech-savvy sleuths is that MySpace was a marketing ploy invented by several executives as very appealing spam. In exchange for having your own page on this site, every user has to view the numerous ads. Anyone is welcome to create their own web page on MySpace, so it attracts middle-schoolers, high-schoolers, adults, and bands from all over the world looking for an appreciative audience.
When you post on MySpace, you know you're in public, but somehow it seems so anonymous, it's easy for teens to believe that their parents, teachers, potential bosses, and bad guys won't find them.
Why are kids so attracted to MySpace and other social networking sites? Experts feel that self presentation is an important part of growing up, and these sites are all about getting feedback on yourself. Most adults can't figure out why you'd tell anyone that you got falling-down drunk last night plus show pictures of yourself doing it, but for teens, that's part of self exploration.
Also, you don't just measure yourself against your peers, but also against those who have been there, done that. A 14- year-old will be fascinated with the comments of a 17-year-old and appreciate advice from a 20-year-old. And the spread of influence from young teen to adult is one major area of concern for parents.
Nor can you be sure that MySpace is your teen's only affiliation. It may be the flavor of the month right now, but with the new "open admissions" policy on Facebook, there may be a huge migration to this growing network.
A TRUE AND FALSE LOOK AT FRIENDSHIP
If you can create a profile online, you can be anyone-or anywhere-you want to be. "We do see a lot of [stretching the truth] on these sites, but it's really from a safety perspective," says Amanda Lenhart, Senior Researcher at the Pew Internet & American Life Project, speaking on National Public Radio. "They would say, 'oh yeah, I live in Beijing.' My friends know I live here, but strangers don't."
And what about the concern that the amount of time spent responding to friend requests and checking bulletins is detrimental to the creation of serious friendships? Fred Stutzman, of the North Carolina School of Information and Library Science and founder of ClaimID, speaking on National Public Radio, feels that most kids are still doing okay on the interpersonal communication front. "The way that people use these services is sort of to conduct background checks, to investigate the people they're becoming friends with."
Eva Francis, Ravenswood 07/12/08
I have 4 children (16, 14, and two 12 year olds). The oldest one does MySpace with his friends, and I just discovered that my 14 year old does MySpace also. My two youngest daughters want to try, but I have been successful in delaying this, for now. I really like www.imsafer.com it monitors my children's conversations with others without my intrusion. It does not give me access to their site, nor does it reveal all of the conversation. It simply monitors conversations for key words like sex, age, name, home, etc. Check it out. Without it I would not have discovered my son's MySpace site!
Read more comments