Week 7 is about social networking and all that it entails. I am no novice to social networking - I've been on Facebook since shortly after it was opened up to people with a .edu email address, keep a professional profile on LinkedIn and regularly post on Instagram, to name a few.
But while I access these sites daily, I am apparently no match for Generation Z (who's that, you ask?). Gen Z, roughly those born between 1995-2010, is the first generation who will grow up in a digital world, where technology is ever-present.
Our assignment this week was to write a position paper on social networking - which led me down the path of researching the good, the bad, and the ugly of all things social media.
One of the first sources I found was courtesy of a fellow classmate, which she shared on our class discussion forum. Generation Like examines the phenomenon of teens and how they use social media to promote images of themselves. Thoroughly captivating, and somewhat disturbing, it definitely made me realize the differences in generations. It was particularly interesting for me as both my children fall into Gen Z (though I have a few years at least before they are posting selfies!).
While it is easy to decry the reliance on technology and the shameless self-promotion (this article very much falls on the side of "Social Networking Has Gone Too Far"). I think the author makes some very valid points - it is tough to find redeemable value in Baby Scumbag, after all.
But my ultimate position is that social networking will do more good than evil. Much of the research into Gen Z points to the fact that these kids will be more globally aware, more environmentally-conscious, and more accepting of different cultures and perspectives as a direct result of the internet and social networks "shrinking" the world. And that, to me, is worth it.
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