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Fear is a theme in this chapter. Are our own biases and fears preventing us from embracing current youth culture?  Do you think fear in regards to youth culture was prevalent when we were teenagers to the same degree? 

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Fear is a theme in this chapter. Are our own biases and fears preventing us from embracing current youth culture?  Do you think fear in regards to youth culture was prevalent when we were teenagers to the same degree? 

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This is an interesting question because I grew up with so much technology around me. I remember getting our first Gateway computer when I was 6 or 7 years old; I had my first cellphone in 5th grade, and a laptop before I graduated high school. My science class had a smart board, and all of my friends had MySpace and Facebook by senior year.

I don't ever remember my parents asking me for passwords to any of my social media accounts or asking to see my phone. This leads me to believe that the fear of teen technology use was not as prevalent back then.

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Kerry, I couldn't resist!!

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What point(s) in this chapter made you think about teen social media use in a new way, particularly in regards to apophenia?  I was one of those who felt teens used social media too frequently, too personally, just totally inappropriate.  After reading danah boyd, I realize it must be structured because it is their preferred method of communication. Admittedly, I do not have teenagers that I am responsible for and my young adult children are well aware of the consequences of their online presence.  This gives me a calming and more open mind about the use of social media.  I have not been bred to use social media on a daily basis.  So much of my day is dedicated to connecting with individuals, in the evening I want to disconnect.  As an adult, I am not confined to four walls, or bound by rules.  I can see the social nature of teenagers wanting that continued connection especially if they cannot connect physically, but there is a line where it can become dangerous and requiring some sense of structure.   Are our own biases and fears preventing us from embracing current youth culture?  Explain.  Those who did not grow up with technology, have a difficult time trusting or coming to grips with having an online presence.  whether it is paying bills online or having your photos posted online.  The ills and dangers of an online presence drove fear and distrust into older generations, while teens embraced all an online presence can do for them.  Teen and preteens are groing up with devices in their hands.  Starting at younger and younger ages, children are learning how to use technology to fit their needs.  They are more and more transparent with their lives and emotions when previous generations are more veiled as it pertains to their real lives.  This is the difference between NEW technology and NORMED technology.  It takes trust and effort to embrace the NEW, but the NORM is a way of life.  A wondering - imagine a conversation between Sherry Turkle and danah boyd..... WWE Smack Down or Tag Team? What a great image as to how these two technology thinkers can either work together or have combative perspectives.  The impact of a conversation between Sherry Turkle and danah boyd would depend on their willingness to build a new understanding based on the two perspectives. While Turkle respects and honors the physical social interactions of young people, I believe boyd could widen her perspective by giving her more of the "how".  

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What point(s) in this chapter made you think about teen social media use in a new way, particularly in regards to apophenia?  I was one of those who felt teens used social media too frequently, too personally, just totally inappropriate.  After reading danah boyd, I realize it must be structured because it is their preferred method of communication. Admittedly, I do not have teenagers that I am responsible for and my young adult children are well aware of the consequences of their online presence.  This gives me a calming and more open mind about the use of social media.  I have not been bred to use social media on a daily basis.  So much of my day is dedicated to connecting with individuals, in the evening I want to disconnect.  As an adult, I am not confined to four walls, or bound by rules.  I can see the social nature of teenagers wanting that continued connection especially if they cannot connect physically, but there is a line where it can become dangerous and requiring some sense of structure.   Are our own biases and fears preventing us from embracing current youth culture?  Explain.  Those who did not grow up with technology, have a difficult time trusting or coming to grips with having an online presence.  whether it is paying bills online or having your photos posted online.  The ills and dangers of an online presence drove fear and distrust into older generations, while teens embraced all an online presence can do for them.  Teen and preteens are groing up with devices in their hands.  Starting at younger and younger ages, children are learning how to use technology to fit their needs.  They are more and more transparent with their lives and emotions when previous generations are more veiled as it pertains to their real lives.  This is the difference between NEW technology and NORMED technology.  It takes trust and effort to embrace the NEW, but the NORM is a way of life.  A wondering - imagine a conversation between Sherry Turkle and danah boyd..... WWE Smack Down or Tag Team? What a great image as to how these two technology thinkers can either work together or have combative perspectives.  The impact of a conversation between Sherry Turkle and danah boyd would depend on their willingness to build a new understanding based on the two perspectives. While Turkle respects and honors the physical social interactions of young people, I believe boyd could widen her perspective by giving her more of the "how".  

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I have to admit that I'm not crazy about this chapter nor the persona Boyd presents.  As the mother of a 12 year old girl and an educator of teenagers for 19 years, I could have written her chapter.  She said she often feels like a "translator," while I understand her intention, there are many of us who also understand young people and why they do the things they do.  The one thing that I had never connected before is her theory that teens turn to social media, "to reclaim some semblance of control of their social worlds," because so much of it is controlled by adults.  I completely agree with this statement.

I'm sure that for many people fear prevents them from embracing youth culture. I can not say that for myself, however. Young people are my favorite people in the world. I love the way they see the world and the way their brains work. An example of this is that this past week we went on a field trip to the beach. While all of the teachers were sitting in a group eating lunch together, I saw with students and had a wonderful talk with them. I make it a point to personally connect with each of my 110 students. Once you talk with teenagers, really talk with them, you realize the fear is unfounded. In addition, fear of youth culture is nothing new; teenagers have always frightened adults, especially the elderly. It's all about taking the time to connect.

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danah boyd talks about the term apophenia on her blog "Zephoria" and she describes  apophenia as "the making of connections where none previously existed." 

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danah boyd talks about the term apophenia on her blog "Zephoria" and she describes  apophenia as "the making of connections where none previously existed." 

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http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/
danah boyd, a researcher who's work is centralized on youth and their cultural use of social media as being a part of their being, views current youth culture as positive and misunderstood. From her research, she has found that teens use social media as a respite from their over scheduled lives and it offers teens a certain freedom of expression that may be restricted in their day to day lives.

My questions for the group are as follows:

What point(s) in this chapter made you think about teen social media use in a new way, particularly in regards to apophenia?

Fear is a theme in this chapter. Are our own biases and fears preventing us from embracing
current youth culture?  Do you think fear in regards to youth culture was prevalent when we were teenagers to the same degree?

A wondering - imagine a conversation between Sherry Turkle and danah boyd.....