In the book the Young and Digital written by
Craig Watkins, Watkins conducts several interviews with parents, young people,
and educators in an attempt to understand how a digital lifestyle affects the
interactions and relationships of the world's youth. The Young and
Digital, published in September 2010 by Beacon Press, is a book that
was published for general readers, but pertains more to a social media
professional. Parents, young adults, and educators are all fascinated by our younger
generation's constant obsession with technology, and debate whether this
attachment is beneficial or harmful to youth's development. In The
Very Well Connected, chapter three of The
Young and Digital, Watkins examines the pros and cons of youth's reliance
on technology and proves to critics that online communities can be just as, if
not more efficient than offline communities. S. Craig Watkins is a radio and
television professor at the University of Texas Austin and is also a media
expert regarding the connection between youth culture and the digital age. I
believe his audience views his opinions with credibility, as every book
critique website rated him highly, but I was unable to find any scholarly
reviews through a database or Google scholar. In The Very Well Connected,
Watkins aims to silence critics who claim that society's dependence on digital
social interaction reduces human contact and ruins traditional ways of
enhancing and maintaining relationships.
In chapter three The Very Well
Connected, Watkins utilizes surveys and statistics to prove that society's
drastic increase of online interaction does not hurt, but rather enhances
youth's connections and relationships. Watkins recognizes critics' claims that
dependence on technology leads people to become anti-social as an
understandable concern, but insists that society is not obsessed with the
technology itself, but rather on how the technology strengthens and connects
friend groups together. Will this generation's preference to interact with a
computer destroy face-to-face interaction? Watkins answers this question
through statistics, personal interviews, and a simple comparison. Through surveys
and in depth-interviews, Watkins confirmed that the social web is a place where
the youth spend a lot of time and it may even act as a substitution for
face-to-face interaction. However, Watkins is confident that "young people
use the web as a tool to engage and maintain real-world-friendships and
connections" (60). Watkins found that eighty four percent of young people
he surveyed do not believe the online world is more exciting than the offline
world and still prefer face-to-face interactions with their friends.
Watkins contends that social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace
are not used to create new friendships but rather, to enhance social
interaction within already existent relationships. After interviewing a
variety of people, Watkins claims that the youth's obsession with online social
interaction only increases offline relationships. People are often separated by
distance and the web presents the opportunity to monitor the everyday life of
others. Watkins emphasizes that if social networking sites don't exist, all
types of relationships will be damaged. Watkins compels that society's anxiety
about a loss of face-to-face interaction is a recurring concern, and makes an
historical comparison to the creation of the telephone. Social networking
experts was so worried that the telephone would lead to a lack of human
interaction, but the telephone has only yielded beneficial results for society.
Watkins believes the web will undergo a similar process to the telephone and
that critics will recognize how beneficial the web is and can be for maintaing
and strengthening relationships.
I agree with all of Watkins' points and believe that he presents a
strong argument with valid evidence. As a member of this "youth
generation", I can vouch that the web is a positive aspect of my life. The
web may be a distraction at times, but I could truthfully say that the
Internet, and Facebook specifically are the only reasons I still communicate
with my friends from high school on a consistent basis. If I were unable to go
online, it would be practically impossible to keep in touch with my friends.
Through the Internet, I'm able to see what my friend's are up to on a
day-to-day basis, which ultimately strengthens our connection. I don't go on
the web everyday because the web fascinates me, but rather because it’s the
most efficient way for me to communicate with my friends and family. My opinion
could be biased because I am part of the "youth generation", but I
completely agree with all of Watkins' statements. He has sufficient evidence
for all of his claims and fairly presents the pros and cons of his argument.
Watkins is a highly rated author and professor and due to his reasoning and
plethora of evidence, it's hard to disagree with his argument.
Related texts:
1. Lost and Found: Rescuing Our Children and Youth from Video, Screen, Technology and Gaming Addiction By Kim Frank
2.Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World By Gary Chapman
3. Our Digital Device Addiction Is Causing A 'National Attention Deficit' By Carolyn Gregoire
4. Technology Addiction in Teens, The Global Post, By Damon Verial
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