Keeping it Real
I have joined My Space and I do have mixed feelings about the use of it. On a positive note, I have been able to connect with friends from high school and college and family members around the world. This is nice. It’s great to just hang out with these people and see what they’re up to. I enjoy looking at their profiles and their friends list. It’s interesting to see who people have in their list of friends. My space certainly doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that other pages have, but I know I could spruce it up a bit. It is a great way to network with people you know and may not be able to see all the time. It’s also a great way to find other people who may have similar interests or questions as you.
On a not so positive note, I believe that My Space is no place for kids. I think in the Boyd interview she said that social networking sites such as My Space were created with college students as the intended users. This is appropriate in my opinion. As I add my ten and eleven year old students to my friends list though, I find that their profiles contain a lot of false information about themselves. In looking at students I’ve had in the past, they too mislead others in the information they list in their profiles. I also have a problem with the fact that although my intent is to hang out with people I know, I have access to a whole lot of people I don’t know. Many profiles are available for me to look at that contain filthy and vulgar language, offensive lyrics to songs, and content that just isn’t appropriate for kids. I believe many parents have no idea what is in their kids’ profiles, in their friends’ profiles, or in the profiles of strangers that may be accessed with ease. I really think the site is inaappropriate for kids to use without parental supervision.
