Rock the Net

As I finally finished reading "Digital Generation" by Kathryn C. Montgomery, I could not help but be overcome by a wave of optimism about the place and role of technology and the internet in our future. Whereas over half of the first part of the book was devoted to providing information about how children were possibly being manipulated by marketers and advertising on the web, in addition to being the reason behind legislation that was passed to protect them from pornography, the last third of the book deals with how teenagers are being empowered. Montgomery explores how social marketing is being used to educate children and teenagers about health and social issues, and she also covers how youths, themselves, are using the internet to become more politically active and possibly better citizens.

First off, I was really pleased to read about two of the campaigns that Montgomery chose to write about: truth and Fight for Your Rights. As a twenty something old adult, I can testify to the power of these campaigns since they first began when I was barely twenty. I can remember watching the shocking commercials where a women admitted she was HIV positive and where body bags were dumped in front of a tobacco company's headquarters. They clearly got their intended messages across to me, but I was not the only one. The Truth campaign, which was funded by settlement money won from a case against the tobacco industry, aims to educate youth about the ingredients in cigarettes and their addictive nature. Using what some call "shocking" commercials, they not only use advertisements on TV, but also an array of technology such as websites, blogs, instant messages, and buzz marketing to get information out to young adults so that they can make their own choices about smoking. The results have been significant: the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey showed that smoking amongst teens has declined sharply. The same type of results came from the Fight for Your Rights campaign in which the Kaiser Foundation aims to educate youth about sex and STDs. According to a study by the Kaiser Foundation, 63% of the teenagers who had actually seen one of their advertisements or shows about sexual health actually learned something from it, realizing they needed to be more cautious. Both campaigns mixed TV ads with online technology to get their messages out, influencing many teens in the process.

Montgomery also covers how teenagers are becoming more politically active on the internet through websites like Rock the Vote, MoveOn, and Meetup which allow them to find others with similar viewpoints, register to vote, and share their opinions. These websites tuned into the fact that many young people are now getting their campaign information from online resources. A study done by the Pew Research Center found that one fifth of 18-29 year olds get their information from online resources. Howard Dean, a Democratic primary candidate in the election of 2004, tapped into that by providing software on his website which allowed followers to find local supporters in their same area in order to meet up with them to campaign. "DeanLink" software allowed supporters to keep track of larger social networks and enlist their friends. MoveonStudentAction, organized by two college students, managed to raise enough money on its website to purchase space in the New York Times to publish an open letter to President Bush, signed by 65,000 young people. Targeting young adults, as many of these websites did, resulted in an increase in voter turnout amongst voters age 18-24 in the election of 2004.

Thus, as educators we need to assert ourselves as leaders in this digital age. Montgomery clearly demonstrates the power the internet has as a research tool and connector, and it is our role as teachers to make sure students know how to navigate between the powerful research side and more seedy, addictive side of the Internet. Attempts to regulate things, such as the V-chip, will not work without guidance and instruction from parents and teachers. Professor David Buckingham argues that the lines between childhood and adulthood are blurring, and instead of leaving children isolated we need to prepare them to cope with it and change it if necessary. Knowledge is key to navigating the Internet superhighway, and I think parents and educators need to step up their roles in order to prepare children to drive it.

Dumb and Dumber

As I continue, to read "Generation Digitial" by Kathryn C. Montgomery, I have begun to feel more and more like this:

Yes, a little bit like dumb and dumber. After reading chapters 4 and 5 which deal with privacy online and how marketers are utilizing technology to advertise to teens, I actually feel a bit dirty and violated. A number of things stuck out to me in these chapters, but I am going to address just three.

Did you know that on almost every website you visit information is being collected about you? I did not, and I was shocked to learn that it was. Chapter 4, titled "Web of Deception," explores how the United States did not do anything to protect the privacy of its citizens, or children, until the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act was passed in 2000. In fact, the United States still has not really passed laws to protect privacy online, instead suggesting that companies and websites act on good faith and develop their own self-regulatory practices. I felt ashamed as I read about sites like KidsCom that had youngsters fill out online surveys in which they divulged a great deal of personal information in exchange for online points which they could use to purchase items such as Power Rangers videos. I felt ignorant when I read about how websites chose to put up links to pages where consumers could choose to "opt out" and not have their information released. As an instructional designer, I started to ponder where those links had been placed. Visiting one of my favorite online retail sites, I saw where designers chose to place the link:
Oh look, how convenient! It's that little link at the very bottom titled "Privacy" which I am sure all buyers think to click on. Really America? Seeing how Europe has taken comprehensive steps to protect privacy and reading about how most websites disclose your information to third party affiliates, I once again felt somewhat embarrassed about being an American.

Another thing that I noticed was how dated the research seems. The book was only published in 2007, and yet the author spent a great deal of time addressing means of communication that are not really utilized by teenagers anymore. She talked a great deal about how teens are creating their own webpages, which is not true, and only spent a few paragraphs addressing social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook. Those two sites have grown in leaps and bounds in terms of how advertising is targeted at teenagers that use those sites to express themselves individually. I think it clearly illustrates just how fast things are changing in terms of technology.

I became very angry as I read about all of the different ways that advertisers have utilized technology to market products to teenagers: blogs, instant messages, bots, teen websites, iTunes, and mobile devices. If advertisers can see how methods of communication can be used to develop relationships with teenagers, why can't educators? So many teachers at my school site are either too lazy or too reluctant to use any of these modes in the classroom. Since we already know our students are digitally wired, why not use that to our advantage? Imagine if a student was downloading the Oregon Trail videogame on their ITouch or IPhone instead of an application that creates a sound grenade. I feel as though too many educators are dropping the ball by not incorporating these things into the classroom environment.

Generation Digital: Part 1

"N-geners," "Webheads, "Keyboard kids," "Cyber Children," these are my students, and I had no idea how much they really shaped my daily life until I began to read Generation Digital by Kathryn Montgomery. In one of my early college classes, I had seen a PBS special in which they analyzed how much marketing was targeted at this new demographic, teens and tweens. But I was unaware how much our laws and current technology policies had been shaped in order to protect them until I began reading this book. In the first two chapters, Montgomery discusses the effects that children and teens have had on marketing, the internet and television.

I was first intrigued by this book because of the time period that the author refers to, the time that I first began to use the internet. I was one of those teenagers that groups such as the Christian Coalition, Family Research Council, and the National Law Center for Children were trying to prevent from seeing pornography and violence on the internet and TV. I was one of the 150 million who had access to the internet by 2000. And I think the author brings to light the fact that no was really calling for families to actually talk to their children about what is right and wrong and what to avoid on the internet or TV. Instead, focus was put on passing laws such as the Communications Decency Act and the V-chip, which would restrict content on the internet and force television networks to identify the sex and violence in the TV shows they showed. It truly angered me to see how our first amendment has been restricted during this time period. I, myself, as a fifteen year old during this time period was subjected to pornography on the internet, but I just quickly clicked those websites away. When I encountered sketchy characters in a chat room on America Online, I simply left. As Montgomery delved into the arguments presented by both sides, I seriously began to question the character of America.

And as Montgomery presented the plans to enact the rating systems on television and on the internet, I could not help but cringe as an instructional designer. How can you expect people to understand what TV-Y7-FV means if you do not properly inform them? Did anyone ever think of creating some type of job aid that people could access online or that the cable companies could send out to inform families what these ratings mean? Showing a guide in the dead of night when most people are not interested in watching will not help all of those families that are supposedly interested comprehend them.

Something else that stuck out was in Chapter 2, in which the author talks about how the internet has adapted to market certain products to teens. She mentions a conference in which research presented explains how teens enter into a "hypnotic flow state" while on the Internet, which makes them more easily susceptible and helps to build relationships. It immediately made me think of John Keller's ARCS model, and motivational theory. I began to contemplate how much was actually integrated into the websites that had been designed, intended to lure children into buying the products that were featured on it. I know these websites have to play into a child's attention and relevance; it makes me sad to see where our society continues to head.