The M-Generation ~ Cyberbullying
The Kaiser Family Foundation(KFF) issued a report recently based on a study of what they refer to as the "Generation-M." The "M" here stands for "media." The KFF study, "Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds," used a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 3rd through 12th graders who completed detailed questionnaires, including nearly 700 self-selected participants who also maintained seven-day media diaries.
What they found was that found children and teens are spending an increasing amount of time using “new media” like computers, the Internet and video games, but those in "Generation M" are not cutting back on the time they spend with “old” media like TV, print and music. Instead, because of the amount of time they spend using more than one medium at a time (for example, going online while watching TV), they’re managing to pack increasing amounts of media content into the same amount of time each day.
How's this connected to "hate" and intolerance online?
What the KFF doesn't mention this, but along with the increase in time spent on 'new media' by kids, there is also an emerging phenomenon of online bullying, reported on recently in USA Today.
What is it? Basically, kids who used to settle scores on the playground or after school are taking dispute with classmates online, escalating them into pitched battles, and continuing them for days, weeks, even months. This kind of "cyberbullying" can take the form of websites that post taunts, hostile emails or instant messages. Cyberbullying is so pervasive in Westchester County, N.Y., that officials held a half-day conference last month for students, parents, teachers and law-enforcement officials. Six hundred attended.
Typically, the students who get targeted are ones who are considered 'different' in some way ~ overweight or underweight compared to their peers, kids who are gender-different, or isolated in terms of racial/ethnic identity. And, perhaps not suprisingly, most of the online bullying is done by boys, though it's not an exclusively male phenomenon.
Some of the cyberbullying involves what amounts to racial and sexual harrassment, if not a full-fledged 'hate crime.' Take for example, the case of Gerald, 14, reported in the USA Today story (linked above):
"Gerald, 14, was accused by another student of using a racial slur to describe a female friend, he went on the attack late last year. He spread a rumor that his female accuser was a prostitute.
His instant message ended up on a website popular among students at his high school in Tampa. He apologized to the embarrassed girl, and she told him she was sorry for starting the online exchange.
"This is so common at our school," says Gerald, who spends about three hours a day exchanging instant messages. "
Some parents, teachers and activists are taking note of this emerging phenomenon and taking action. One of those is Teri Schroeder, who founded i-Safe America which teaches kids how to be "safe" online. i-Safe may be a worthwhile idea, but it's also possible it does more harm than good.
What they found was that found children and teens are spending an increasing amount of time using “new media” like computers, the Internet and video games, but those in "Generation M" are not cutting back on the time they spend with “old” media like TV, print and music. Instead, because of the amount of time they spend using more than one medium at a time (for example, going online while watching TV), they’re managing to pack increasing amounts of media content into the same amount of time each day.
How's this connected to "hate" and intolerance online?
What the KFF doesn't mention this, but along with the increase in time spent on 'new media' by kids, there is also an emerging phenomenon of online bullying, reported on recently in USA Today.
What is it? Basically, kids who used to settle scores on the playground or after school are taking dispute with classmates online, escalating them into pitched battles, and continuing them for days, weeks, even months. This kind of "cyberbullying" can take the form of websites that post taunts, hostile emails or instant messages. Cyberbullying is so pervasive in Westchester County, N.Y., that officials held a half-day conference last month for students, parents, teachers and law-enforcement officials. Six hundred attended.
Typically, the students who get targeted are ones who are considered 'different' in some way ~ overweight or underweight compared to their peers, kids who are gender-different, or isolated in terms of racial/ethnic identity. And, perhaps not suprisingly, most of the online bullying is done by boys, though it's not an exclusively male phenomenon.
Some of the cyberbullying involves what amounts to racial and sexual harrassment, if not a full-fledged 'hate crime.' Take for example, the case of Gerald, 14, reported in the USA Today story (linked above):
"Gerald, 14, was accused by another student of using a racial slur to describe a female friend, he went on the attack late last year. He spread a rumor that his female accuser was a prostitute.
His instant message ended up on a website popular among students at his high school in Tampa. He apologized to the embarrassed girl, and she told him she was sorry for starting the online exchange.
"This is so common at our school," says Gerald, who spends about three hours a day exchanging instant messages. "
Some parents, teachers and activists are taking note of this emerging phenomenon and taking action. One of those is Teri Schroeder, who founded i-Safe America which teaches kids how to be "safe" online. i-Safe may be a worthwhile idea, but it's also possible it does more harm than good.
posted by Jessie Daniels at
8:27 AM
