The Issues of the Digital World

         

          Day by day our society is developing and shifting towards a more digital lifestyle.  As convenient and desirable as that may sound, this digital world has proven to be toxic to society. The PBS segment, "Growing up Online",  discussed social networking and its implications.  Throughout the presentation social networking is often referred to as "addicting" to imply just how damaging it has become.  The group of individuals that are "coming of age online" are being raised by the internet.
           Young children and teens use social networking sites to escape from the real world, to try on a new identity, to create a new persona and to be someone new without fear of being judged.  Jessica, a teen from New Jersey, was constantly bullied by her classmates for being "different".  She used the internet to escape from the insecurity that she felt on a daily basis in school.  Thus, Jessica was reborn online as a new woman named Autumn.  Autumn received compliments from strangers and had many admirers online.  Jessica tried to hide her new identity from her classmates and her family, however, that only lasted so long.  Once her classmates found out, the bullying worsened; Jessica was called names like "whore" and the principal contacted her parents.  The biggest issue that Jessica discovered was how easily people can change the context of what you post online to get you in trouble.
          Unfortunately, social networking also serves as an easy link to online predators.  Studies show that 1 in 7 teens have been sexually solicited online.  Parents have no way of protecting their children because they privatize their online lives so heavily and refuse to share passwords with their parents.  Many children feel safe on the internet and believe that they are able to express who they really are without being judged by others.  However, it is not as safe as they believe.
          Cyber-bullying is another huge issue that was brought up in the PBS segment and Ryan Patrick Halligan's story shows just how unsafe the internet can be.  Halligan committed suicide after being cyber-bullied by classmates calling him "loser" and spreading rumors about him online.  Many children who get bullied at school used to be able to come home to escape from the cruel bullies.  However, due to social networking and the digital world, home is no longer a safe haven because the bullying now follows them home on the internet.  Many students admit that the things they would never say to someone in real life, they say those things online because "you can do whatever you want online".  Sadly, Halligan suffered from bullying online and decided that the only way to escape was by suicide.