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Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation
Young people spend hours online each day, and their abilities to multitask and communicate are often misunderstood by older generations. Dr. Larry Rosen offers a full overview of the various issues young people may experience in their online worlds (cyberbullying, addiction, sexuality, virtual friendships, and more) while at the same time challenging commonly held beliefs that these communities are damaging. Instead of using scare tactics, Me, MySpace, and I shows parents how to be proactive and anticipate potential problems. With his extensive background in both child development and the impact of technology, Dr. Rosen uses down-to-earth explanations of sound psychological theory, incorporates groundbreaking research, and shows parents and educators how social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook can improve adolescent socialization skills.
258 pages, Paperback
First published December 26, 2007
3 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Larry D. Rosen
14 books10 followersDr. Rosen is Professor Emeritus and Past Chair of the Psychology Department at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is a research psychologist, computer educator, keynote speaker and is recognized as an international expert in the “Psychology of Technology”
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 26, 2011
Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation by Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D. (2007) Reviewed by Christina Connor, ITS650 Emerging Technologies, Summer-1, 2011
In Me MySpace and I, Dr. Larry Rosen offers to parents and educators, alike, some excellent points and valuable insights about the role of social media in the life and development of today’s adolescent. Rather unexpectedly, he enthusiastically touts the value of social networking sites to the psychological development and social well-being of the preteen. He quotes Danah Boyd, University of Southern California, who is a pioneer in the study of social networking sites and teen behavior. Ms. Boyd maintains that MySpace and other social networking sites are important in developing the teen identity. She states that these sites allow the individual to strike a balance between the persona they portray and the feedback they receive in response to that persona. (Rosen, p. 86) This is important to personality formation and to answering the question, “who am I?” When reading this, I was reminded of a supporting point of view expressed recently by journalist and blogger, Andrew Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan was recently interviewed by the blogsite, bigthink, wherein he stated that “blogging is a dialogue, not a monologue” and that with any luck you may even start a conversation. That’s the real powerful potential of goodness that can come from social networking and, for a young adult, this can be a big part in forming their personality. This is exactly the point that Dr. Rosen presents in his book.
In Me, MySpace and I, the author urges us to seize the opportunity to use the Internet as a way of taking an intimate look at “teenagedom” (Rosen, p. 88); to witness the trials and tribulations, and the pressures of socialization that the preteen of today experiences. Rosen laments that, unfortunately, this is not done often enough. Rather, parents judge and blame, instead of trying to understand their child’s value system and acknowledge that it is different from their own. He states that we should practice “proactive parenting,” setting limits and, most importantly, monitoring those limits and our child’s on-line activity.
Me, MySpace and I brings attention to yet another key concern with social networking, both at home and in the classroom – the digital footprint. Rosen spends a chapter describing the many ways our digital footprint is created and how we must take care to protect it. He focuses on blogs and the seductive nature of being “behind the screen” (p. 94) and the freedom that that allows to say anything at any time; sometimes unaware of the impact it may have on the individual’s life or on others. On the other hand, Rosen cites studies that support blogging as a an “important addition to educational technology,” (p. 104) promoting literacy through storytelling and collaborative learning.
From the value of blogging, Rosen moves to the impact of television on teen sexuality, his opinions backed by numerous statistics and studies. Frankly, this chapter was difficult to get through, first because I was interested in learning more about the relationship between social networking and teen sexuality, not television, and, second, the amount of statistics made the reading a bit “dry.” Dr. Rosen’s references and statistics on social media and sexuality throughout this section of the book culminate in his statement that “tweens and adolescents develop "sexuality" scripts that, as shown in the studies mentioned earlier, are shaped in part by the media.” This was not news to me, and I doubt to many other readers. The one fact that I did find shocking and almost unbelievable, definitely worthy of further investigation, is his claim that: “While we have no figures on the number of teens who are involved in sexual activity on the Internet, we do know, from one study, that 90% of nine- to nineteen-years-olds have viewed pornography on the Internet.42 “ One study which should be looked at carefully for validity. The citation is listed here: 42 Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2007). Unwanted and wanted exposure to online pornography in a national sample of youth Internet Users. Pediatrics, 119, 247–257. I find this claim very unsettling as a parent and as an educator in an elementary school, and would like to further explore this claim in hopes of proving it wrong.
Dr. Rosen finishes up with chapters on how to be a proactive parent and how to determine if your child has an “internet addiction.” He provides strategies and checklists to help parents deal with excessive Internet use and to encourage responsible use of the social networking sites. Me, MySpace and I contained a lot of statistics, but was balanced by actual quotes from conversations with real parents and adolescents in real situations.
I think the impact that Me MySpace and I has on education is a positive one for those educators who might still be fearful of the use of social media in education and at home. In many cases, this fear stems from ignorance – ignorance about how students could actually benefit, ignorance about effective controls that could be imposed, and ignorance about the influence that proactive parents can have on a positive social networking experience. Me MySpace and I helps to define social media in terms of these things.
For parents, a clear understanding of the role of social media in their child’s life could open a door to effective use of social networking in schools. Parental support and involvement are key to managing this powerful, important tool in education and in the social fabric of our childrens’ lives. Dr. Rosen’s book offers a candid, useful guide to help parents be responsible mentors for adolescent use of social networking sites. This can only mean positive things for educators and for the use of social networking in the classroom.
References:
Rosen Ph.D., Larry D. (2007). Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation (p. 133). Palgrave Macmillan. Kindle Edition.
Sullivan, Andrew, bigthink interview, October 11, 2010. Retrieved on 6/23/11 from http://bigthink.com/andrewsullivan
In Me MySpace and I, Dr. Larry Rosen offers to parents and educators, alike, some excellent points and valuable insights about the role of social media in the life and development of today’s adolescent. Rather unexpectedly, he enthusiastically touts the value of social networking sites to the psychological development and social well-being of the preteen. He quotes Danah Boyd, University of Southern California, who is a pioneer in the study of social networking sites and teen behavior. Ms. Boyd maintains that MySpace and other social networking sites are important in developing the teen identity. She states that these sites allow the individual to strike a balance between the persona they portray and the feedback they receive in response to that persona. (Rosen, p. 86) This is important to personality formation and to answering the question, “who am I?” When reading this, I was reminded of a supporting point of view expressed recently by journalist and blogger, Andrew Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan was recently interviewed by the blogsite, bigthink, wherein he stated that “blogging is a dialogue, not a monologue” and that with any luck you may even start a conversation. That’s the real powerful potential of goodness that can come from social networking and, for a young adult, this can be a big part in forming their personality. This is exactly the point that Dr. Rosen presents in his book.
In Me, MySpace and I, the author urges us to seize the opportunity to use the Internet as a way of taking an intimate look at “teenagedom” (Rosen, p. 88); to witness the trials and tribulations, and the pressures of socialization that the preteen of today experiences. Rosen laments that, unfortunately, this is not done often enough. Rather, parents judge and blame, instead of trying to understand their child’s value system and acknowledge that it is different from their own. He states that we should practice “proactive parenting,” setting limits and, most importantly, monitoring those limits and our child’s on-line activity.
Me, MySpace and I brings attention to yet another key concern with social networking, both at home and in the classroom – the digital footprint. Rosen spends a chapter describing the many ways our digital footprint is created and how we must take care to protect it. He focuses on blogs and the seductive nature of being “behind the screen” (p. 94) and the freedom that that allows to say anything at any time; sometimes unaware of the impact it may have on the individual’s life or on others. On the other hand, Rosen cites studies that support blogging as a an “important addition to educational technology,” (p. 104) promoting literacy through storytelling and collaborative learning.
From the value of blogging, Rosen moves to the impact of television on teen sexuality, his opinions backed by numerous statistics and studies. Frankly, this chapter was difficult to get through, first because I was interested in learning more about the relationship between social networking and teen sexuality, not television, and, second, the amount of statistics made the reading a bit “dry.” Dr. Rosen’s references and statistics on social media and sexuality throughout this section of the book culminate in his statement that “tweens and adolescents develop "sexuality" scripts that, as shown in the studies mentioned earlier, are shaped in part by the media.” This was not news to me, and I doubt to many other readers. The one fact that I did find shocking and almost unbelievable, definitely worthy of further investigation, is his claim that: “While we have no figures on the number of teens who are involved in sexual activity on the Internet, we do know, from one study, that 90% of nine- to nineteen-years-olds have viewed pornography on the Internet.42 “ One study which should be looked at carefully for validity. The citation is listed here: 42 Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2007). Unwanted and wanted exposure to online pornography in a national sample of youth Internet Users. Pediatrics, 119, 247–257. I find this claim very unsettling as a parent and as an educator in an elementary school, and would like to further explore this claim in hopes of proving it wrong.
Dr. Rosen finishes up with chapters on how to be a proactive parent and how to determine if your child has an “internet addiction.” He provides strategies and checklists to help parents deal with excessive Internet use and to encourage responsible use of the social networking sites. Me, MySpace and I contained a lot of statistics, but was balanced by actual quotes from conversations with real parents and adolescents in real situations.
I think the impact that Me MySpace and I has on education is a positive one for those educators who might still be fearful of the use of social media in education and at home. In many cases, this fear stems from ignorance – ignorance about how students could actually benefit, ignorance about effective controls that could be imposed, and ignorance about the influence that proactive parents can have on a positive social networking experience. Me MySpace and I helps to define social media in terms of these things.
For parents, a clear understanding of the role of social media in their child’s life could open a door to effective use of social networking in schools. Parental support and involvement are key to managing this powerful, important tool in education and in the social fabric of our childrens’ lives. Dr. Rosen’s book offers a candid, useful guide to help parents be responsible mentors for adolescent use of social networking sites. This can only mean positive things for educators and for the use of social networking in the classroom.
References:
Rosen Ph.D., Larry D. (2007). Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation (p. 133). Palgrave Macmillan. Kindle Edition.
Sullivan, Andrew, bigthink interview, October 11, 2010. Retrieved on 6/23/11 from http://bigthink.com/andrewsullivan
March 7, 2009
As a teacher, the thing that stood out most for me is the data on how much media is consumed by teenagers on a daily basis. "The best estimate (on how much time children and teens spend on digital media) is that media consumes six hours and twenty-one minutes a day, including television, Internet and computer use, music and video games. This means that in a seven day week, nearly forty five hours are devoted to the use of at least one form of media" (page 6). The implications on students and learning are great. Teachers need to realize that the old methods of teaching are not going to hold the attention of today's learners. This growing trend towards multimedia needs to be transferred into today's classrooms.
This book provides parents with the knowledge and tools to teach their children how to navigate safely online. Dr. Rosen provides research data and psychological theory to help parents understand their children and their use of media. He also provides information and advice that will aid parents in their struggle to help guide their children through their wired adolescence (page 17). I thought it was refreshing to read comments from real parents and children about their daily interactions together and with media. It was a break from all of the statistics in the book - there were a lot. Another nice feature were the online resources located in the last chapter of the book. Parents would be able to find more information in their particular area of need.
Each chapter in the book addresses an aspect of cyberspace and how they can have positive, as well as negative, effects on teenagers - internet addiction, sexuality, pornography, cyber-bullying, etc. I like how the chapters were set up. First, Dr. Rosen gives an overview of a particular aspect of cyberspace, for example, virtual relationships. The information and data are followed by suggestions and a portion of questions and answers. The predictability of each chapter allows for easy navigation through the book.
Overall, I thought the book gave good information for parents who are concerned about their child and the unknowns in cyberworld. I think the suggestions and strategies in each chapter would be especially helpful for parents searching for ways to connect with their child. Dr. Rosen covers everything from blogging to sexual predators. A very current and relevant handbook for parents of the net generation.
I think the information on virtual relationships - online friendships, groups and forums, different communities - addresses a huge part of a child's education in that children today are learning about their social identity through the internet. Dr. Rosen points out that social networking sites, such as MySpace, promote and reinforce communication skills that help build confidence when offline (page 51). The chapter on cyberbullying is also relevant in education today. Teachers need to be aware as much as parents about the dangers of internet bullying and everyone needs to be aware of their schools Acceptable Usage Policies (page 202).
I give this book a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. It was a little hard to get through at times, but like I said the advice and suggestions are worth the read for parents with children in middle school and high school.
This book provides parents with the knowledge and tools to teach their children how to navigate safely online. Dr. Rosen provides research data and psychological theory to help parents understand their children and their use of media. He also provides information and advice that will aid parents in their struggle to help guide their children through their wired adolescence (page 17). I thought it was refreshing to read comments from real parents and children about their daily interactions together and with media. It was a break from all of the statistics in the book - there were a lot. Another nice feature were the online resources located in the last chapter of the book. Parents would be able to find more information in their particular area of need.
Each chapter in the book addresses an aspect of cyberspace and how they can have positive, as well as negative, effects on teenagers - internet addiction, sexuality, pornography, cyber-bullying, etc. I like how the chapters were set up. First, Dr. Rosen gives an overview of a particular aspect of cyberspace, for example, virtual relationships. The information and data are followed by suggestions and a portion of questions and answers. The predictability of each chapter allows for easy navigation through the book.
Overall, I thought the book gave good information for parents who are concerned about their child and the unknowns in cyberworld. I think the suggestions and strategies in each chapter would be especially helpful for parents searching for ways to connect with their child. Dr. Rosen covers everything from blogging to sexual predators. A very current and relevant handbook for parents of the net generation.
I think the information on virtual relationships - online friendships, groups and forums, different communities - addresses a huge part of a child's education in that children today are learning about their social identity through the internet. Dr. Rosen points out that social networking sites, such as MySpace, promote and reinforce communication skills that help build confidence when offline (page 51). The chapter on cyberbullying is also relevant in education today. Teachers need to be aware as much as parents about the dangers of internet bullying and everyone needs to be aware of their schools Acceptable Usage Policies (page 202).
I give this book a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. It was a little hard to get through at times, but like I said the advice and suggestions are worth the read for parents with children in middle school and high school.
December 2, 2014
this is a great read whether or not you're a parent - the discussions on Internet safety have applications at just about any age level! it presents some great research & insight into particular trends around how the Internet has introduced a *cultural* shift we must embrace and not claim to understand. the book does a good job sharing how everything from socialization to multitasking to group dynamics is impacted and different from what some of us may be accustomed to. The book also emphasizes the importance of letting kids teach us the technology - how we must explore these new realms *with* them, build trust, and keep lines of communication open - we must remain role models and bring what wisdom we do have to the table to situations we may have never encountered ourselves in our youth. recommended for educators and because teens are so sophisticated these days - you might actually learn how to chat with the folks about your world! ;-)
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December 24, 2008Heh, I took a class with the author, Dr. Rosen. So yes, I was forced to read it. Interesting data, but like the other poster said, after a while it got boring.
December 26, 2008
Very Informative book. I learned a lot from it and recommend it to parents of children who use the internet unsupervised and/or more than 3 hours per day.
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May 12, 2010If you're trying to figure out your kids, or your own, digital social behaviors this book is a great place to start.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews