[DMEC] Grand Prize Essay: Digital Media and Me
When it comes to digital media I’m a complete novice. I like to say that I’m technologically inept; it makes me sound educated when I tell people that. Now that I’ve explained my handicap I can talk about digital media.
The only things on the computer that I use are Microsoft Word and the Internet. I just recently got high-speed internet and I feel special because I can be on AIM and the phone at the same time. The problem with AIM and Myspace is that personality and expressions are limited. There are smiley faces, wallpaper, and icons, but those are two-dimensional. There are only so many designs you can choose from and people are so diverse that not everyone can find something that fits them. A real person has many facets. When I speak to someone face to face it is more enjoyable. I use hand gestures and facial expressions to get my point across. I like seeing other people’s reactions. On AIM it’s completely different. A person’s tone of voice can’t be heard and you don’t know if someone’s joking or not when they say something offensive until they say something like “LOL” or “J/K”. AIM “convos” can’t compare to everyday talk.
I also have a Myspace. I use it almost as much as AIM. You could say I’m addicted to it. I imagine myself in an AA setting surrounded by fellow Myspace addicts. I stand up and introduce myself, everyone says “Hey,” and then I explain my addiction. A lot of people have that image running through their heads. I’m careful about how much info I give out and the pictures I post. I know there are weirdos out there looking at my site so I limit how much personal information I put up. I know that even if I’m extremely cautious, if someone out there wants to they can find me. Privacy is a big issue for me. I watch all sorts of thrillers where a killer finds a beautiful young girl in her prime by looking at her online journals. He stalks her, finds her, and kills her. They have to base these movies on real events and it scares me. It makes me wonder about who all has seen my Myspace.
In my opinion there should be stricter rules on the age of kids who have online journals. Either that or parents should keep a better watch on what their kids are doing online. I know what’s right and wrong and what I should and shouldn’t put up, but how does a 10 year-old know? When I turned thirteen I was thrilled that I’d finally be able to get on the internet. I’m the oldest of four kids and I’m the experimental child. So if I mess up on something they think my siblings are going to do the same thing. My parents thought that if I could be on the internet and not get into trouble at the age of thirteen, then my sister should be able to be on it at the age of ten. We tried this scenario and my sister played around. After a month my family started getting random letters from random companies. My parents thought it was just junk mail that was getting sent out. Then my mom gets her credit report and finds out that my ten year-old sister had been buying things from ebay and music sites. She spent about two thousand dollars on merchandise and she put my mom’s personal credit information online. It’s been almost three years since that incident and we’re still getting junk mail from websites that she visited. My step-dad did the same thing. We’re insured with Blue Cross Blue Shield and he went to their website trying to look up some of his information. He typed in all of his personal stuff and the next day he had over a hundred emails from other insurance companies. It just goes to show you that you have to be diligent in keeping your private information private.
Even though I say I’m addicted to Myspace and AIM, I’m no where near as obsessed at my nine year-old brother is with internet games. The longest he was on the computer was eighteen hours and fifty-two minutes. The only way you could get him away from the computer was to tempt him with food. He is so enticed by internet games that he wet himself because he didn’t want to waste time going to the bathroom. I was shocked when I came home from school and asked why he was cleaning the computer chair with soap and water. I know that there’s a big debate on whether or not video games cause violent behavior and I have first hand experience that tells me that it does. My brother was playing a videogame that involved a lot of fighting and he lost. He has a very short temper so when his character died he banged his fists down on the keyboard and broke it. Then he gets frustrated and took it out on the rest of the family and our furniture. He’ll throw things off the coffee table or yell at me if I said something about the game. I remember when he was little and only wanted to play with his hot wheels. This behavior has expanded into his social life. He and his friends are so competitive about videogames that his friendships get torn up in the process of becoming the best at a certain game.
Digital media will always be around. It will always be changing and advances will always be made. I am just one person and who am I to say that digital media has flaws? I know that people have their own opinions and that they use technology in different ways. My opinion is biased by my experiences; some good, others bad. Just because my family has been affected negatively doesn’t mean that I won’t continue to use the internet and be on Myspace and AIM. All I am trying to say is that for as long as digital media is out there, people should be educated in the proper uses of it, children should be monitored, and good judgment should me used. It’s all good until someone gets hurt. Is digital media a friend or foe? I don’t know. I’ll have to get back to you on that.
Stephanie M. attends school in Madison, Alabama. She reports that she comes from a mixed family that has helped with everything in her life and who accept her randomness. This essay was a Grand Prize Winner in the 2006 Global Kids Digital Media Essay Contest. For more information, please visit GlobalKids.org.
