So...

...would it be hypocritical to join Facebook now, after my last post?

(Considering that my parents just gave me permission, and my dad just joined?!)

[Update: after 4 hours on Facebook, I de-activated my account. I seriously couldn't stand it...]

Teenagers and Online Community

Teenagers are "highly motivated by the need for community" and community building is one of the core needs that drives them to use the internet. Thanks to technology, they now have access to a global community and consequently a perceived interpersonal freedom [1]. Blogging, for example, is one of the important ways that teens maintain and gain friendships [2].

However, online friendships are often not merely an addition to "real life" friendships. According to a CBS news article, friendships are now predominantly conducted online and even friendships made offline rapidly become online friendships that rarely involve physical meetings [5]. The internet being their primary source of community and friendship, teenagers often do not view online activities as public.

This gains a new twist as an increasing number of adults join social networking sites. Describing the social life of teens on the internet as "powerful but fickle", the Washington Post ran a story on the rapid "migration" of teenagers from one social networking site to another, using the move from MySpace to Facebook as an example. One of the reasons teenagers gave for the move was the increased presence of authority figures on MySpace and the resulting lack of privacy [4].

Teenagers view online community primarily as a community of peers, and are displeased that their parents and other adults are joining social networking sites such as Facebook. "Living in the world without the usual social barriers between generations is causing a little discomfort for some and downright angst for others" [2]. Blogs are used to communicate with 5-10 friends by teens who want to have a section of their life independent of and private to their parents [6].

A few of my thoughts on this:

• Internet community can be dangerously attractive because it appears to offer freedom from accountability. When your freedom is threatened by people known in real life who have the authority to pull you into line and when you don't want to be pulled into line, "downright angst" is to be expected.
• Internet community also gets rid of much of the pain of real community. It is far easier to manipulate people online for your own ego's sake. If online "friends" hurt your ego, "unfriend" them or block them. And what if they get sick? What if they are thrown in jail? Can you visit them? What if they are hungry? Can you feed them? If you have no real life friends, you have no real life trials...or opportunities to show the love of our loving Lord. Goodbye to real life friends, goodbye to real life self-sacrifice.
• Are the "usual social barriers between generations" necessarily good? Not if these social barriers mean a complete lack of interaction. Sure, there are times for teenagers to enjoy each others' company exclusively. No problem. After all, we naturally tend to gravitate towards people with whom we have a lot in common. A certain level of age segregation tends to happen naturally anyway. The problem is if these times become the only form of community experienced and this segregation becomes artificial. Goodbye to interaction between generations, goodbye to the church as God intended it.

// Sources //

1. Yahoo/OMD report
2. Usa Today Article: "Teens to Parents: 'It's Our Facebook'"
3. USA Today Article: "Teens Wear Their Hearts on Their Blog"
4. Washington Post Article
5. CBS News Article
6. CS Monitor Article

Because I want to do this tag, I am going to do it.

Anya did this tag a while ago. As in, last year sometime. (She didn't tag me, either.) Along with Lloyd, I did it a few times just for fun, but didn't do it on my blog. However, having been reminded of this game for one reason or another, I've decided to do it on my blog. Lloyd (being a dear of a brother) is willing for me to post his answers too. Yes, this is a significantly silly, teenage tag..but it will be a nice intro to my upcoming series of posts on teenagers and their use of the internet.

Rules:

1. Put your iTunes/Ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write the song title down...don't cheat.

If someone asks, "Is this okay?", you reply...

Anika: Contend ~ Sons of Korah

Lloyd: 999 ~ BBC

[At least he doesn't say 666...]

What would best describe your personality?

Anika: Plein de joie (Full of joy) ~ Unknown

Lloyd: Peer Gynt Suite #1 Op. 46 ~ Grieg

What is your life's purpose?

Anika: When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along ~ Al Jolson

Lloyd: Take One Down ~ Sounds Like Chicken

[Anika, timidly: So...what's in that suitcase? Lloyd: Uh...the chicken factory's greeting card design scheme.]

What is your motto?

Anika: Dieu, unique joie du coeur (God, only joy of the heart) ~ Saint Augustine

Lloyd: Nuisance ~ John Reuben

What do you think of the guy/girl you "like"?

Anika: Dieu est au-dela de la memoire (God is beyond the memory) ~ Saint Augustine

[Hopefully, guys are not put off by a reluctance to keep on topic]

Lloyd: Let it go ~ Manafest

[Lloyd: Put down the suitcase, dear...]

What is your life story?

Anika: Behold the Lamb of God! ~ Handel

Lloyd: Night Rhythms ~ Michael Dulin

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Anika: Will lightning and thunder in ruin engulf them? ~ Bach

Lloyd: Bowling Ball ~ Super Chick

What do your parents think of you?

Anika: The Lord Gave the Word ~ Handel

Lloyd: Beautiful ~ Soul Frame

What will you dance to at your wedding?

Anika: Ne m'oublie pas (Don't forget me) ~ Unknown

[Evidently I'm not going to get married until Alzheimer's has well and truly set in...]

[*Lloyd imagining the scene*: Anika: No, sweetheart, I'm the other one...]

Lloyd: Never take friendship personal ~ Anberlin

[?]

What do you think of your friends?

Anika: Unless the Lord Builds The House... ~ Sons of Korah

[...I'm not inviting them 'round to tea.]

Lloyd: Stereo ~ Fourth Avenue Jones

[Amusing, considering a portion of the lyrics goes, "All I need to survive is a simple stereo."]

..and we couldn't bear the fun to end, so we made up some questions of our own...

How are you feeling?

Anika: Psalm 15 ~ Sons of Korah

Lloyd: Glass Houses ~ Wishful Thinking

What is your worst nightmare?

Anika: Recois Ma Vie (Receive my life) ~ Sylvain Freymond

Lloyd: Take this life ~ Paul Wright

[Neither of us is into assisted suicide, evidently.]

What is your fondest dream?

Anika: Jardins de Novembre (November Gardens) ~ Louis Chadourne

Lloyd: Letters to the President ~ Hawk Nelson

What is your worst memory?

Anika: Let Your Kingdom Come ~ Sovereign Grace Memories

Lloyd: Can You Hear Me? ~ Audience

What will they play at your funeral?

Anika: Nothing without you ~ Eric and Leslie Ludy

Lloyd: Caroline ~ Seventh Day Slumber

[While people find it hard to believe how they can survive without Anika, they can't even remember Lloyd's name...]