YouTube and MySpace Leaves "No Space" for a Generation
With the advent and popularity of MySpace and YouTube, kids are finding themselves with less space than ever, however virtual they think it may be.
As they spend hours uploading photos and recording each personal indiscretion, this savvy techno-baby generation will one day find they have lost the only real space that ever mattered . . . personal space without continual voyeurism.
As a society, we have almost by default decided "self-esteem" is the most important attribute for our children to have, far surpassing the ancient adage of having a good, solid character for its own worth.
Today, children are taught they must feel great about themselves first and foremost, many psychologists and self-proclaimed experts preach, whether they are doing anything worthwhile or not.
Self esteem didn't come simply by birthright, or as a result of filming a YouTube video partying with friends, or designing websites devoted to the most important person in the universe-- yourself.
Rather, one gains respect, strength of character and earned wisdom which may result in self-esteem, but then again, this should not be the ultimate goal for children or adults to ensure they may become citizens with value and integrity.
With thousands of teens spending time writing about how they feel, as opposed to how others feel or act, or how they may contribute or even change the world they live in, we have allowed much of a generation to grow up with visceral apathy as an accepted trait, which is nothing to feel esteemed about.
Far from the 1960's and '70s when college students fought police in the streets against the war and for civil rights, and when young women burned their bras rather than receiving boob jobs as graduation presents, this generation is at a big loss, and many of us parents have become the biggest cohorts and supporters, along with Madison Avenue and techno babysitters to blame.
It's so much easier to let a kid live in their own room where you might not see them for hours, with their loss of soul buried in their computer, digital camera, iPod and cell phone at hand that you have provided. You know you have. And the price is far larger than any financial debt you may have accumulated
There can hardly be time or inclination left for embroiled discussions about anything if you're never even in the same room together. The classic teenage words, "You just don't understand" aren't even said, because barely anything is.
I can remember after eating dinner at the table each night with my family when my father shouted out for us to be quiet so we could hear Walter Cronkite give us the latest news about the Vietnam War or the Civil Rights Movement, or Nixon's resignation speech, or God forbid, even The Dick Cavett show and Masterpiece Theater.
I can also remember intellectual discussions with my father and close friends-- endless debate that often lasted into the wee hours of dawn about philosophy, art, culture and politics.
There are many moral character wounds that arise with this new infantile and selfish identification, but even more precarious is the fact that each time a teen shares with millions of fellow internet icons their most personal thoughts, including images that would shock even the most progressive parents; they are unaware how this might play out in their future.
This is what makes teenagers innocent and enviable on one hand, while the most dangerous species on the other. By nature, they have no sense of mortality. Rather, they are about everything that is exciting and miraculous for the moment-- which for them is infinite.
Therefore, when they boast into cell phone cameras dramatizing each activity, including drunken escapades and endless verses of self-adulation, they are unaware one day they might just wish to hit the delete key, but once given birth in cyberspace, there is no such key or link.
Furthermore, to an adolescent today, the future is as un-virtual as it gets. And if you can't send it through cyberspace, then it isn't actually real.
Not all MySpace websites and emails are scurrilous. Some are simple playful diaries of the young and the restless. And to be fair, some sites document seemingly-sincere reflections of how they see themselves in a world they either don't understand or think they understand too well.
On the dark side, there are sites and videos that the word "exhibitionism" can't begin to describe. Blatant personal dramas are displayed with horrific stories that as a viewer you can only hope are fictional. Largely, narratives are not about any protest against or for societal issues, but simply ongoing hate and love letters to ones' self with self-aggrandizing.
By nature, teens want to be popular with instant gratification and fame constantly fleeting. Our modern society has obviously decided that celebrities are to be worshipped, especially if they are acting out of control.
Embarrassing photos and quotes will be recorded not just in a yearbook, but by anyone including adults with far from altruistic tendencies, who are out there in droves. Whatever is downloaded can be uploaded and can be on record forever.
What will happen when this generation hits their 30's and even their 20's? Will they feel humiliated or proud? Will there be an epidemic of lawsuits against My Space and YouTube when they become parents and claim to have been naive participants- demanding all past histrionics be deleted from the black hole of Cyberspace?
Most likely, there will be lawsuits claiming no responsibility, which ironically is what the web largely symbolizes. It is a virtual life more real for the user than the one often lived, and yet everything can be anonymous with no one to answer to and no one to blame, and yet there will a lot of blaming yet to come.
My Space is not about anyone's space at all, but rather about taking up the most crucial and valuable space of a generation.
It gives viable minds the winking nod that's its okay for them to take up as much space as they want virtually nothing at all, and takes space away that could be given to a productive and valuable life.
The generation of baby boomers and parents a bit younger, such as I, who watched a war unfold, unravel and become a nightmare may now be raising a generation of kids who may not know or care what is going on at all.
After all, if you are the universe and everything revolves around you, why should it matter whether the rest of the world is embroiled in any war of any scope?
This is not to say self-expression is unimportant, or that each generation has a swear-bound duty to forge its own path and to upset the generation before.
But a generation suckled on the need to be constantly seen and heard leaves a generation that is heard and seen but doesn't listen much.
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The Bling Generation?
My own daughter was dismayed to find that no amount of wheedling or coercion would allow her to own an ipod or a cell phone untell she was old enough to research the down side of such devices and make a cogent and informed choice. At the age of 14 she began her disconnect and i still do not allow her to text while in the car or during family time. "Look around and learn how to drive, watch out for people because they are not watching out for themselves much less for you". "most people do not pay attention on the street, look three cars ahead, yes that is farther than your hand held device dear one". These days She is far to apt to say she is board when her device is charging .I Suggested to my wife that when she talks to our daughter she prepare some text in advance and send it to her automatically as she is talking to her so she pays more attention to the message.
I can't say I'm proud of my generation, but you make some strong claims and I don't think you're being fair. You obviously have a narrow minded view of the purpose of social networking sites, and I'm not surprised that you don't understand why people my age utilize them. Using facebook to stay in touch with friends and family is selfish? The sole purpose of these sites is to express yourself? - and doing so is selfish? I don't even understand how you're implicating the word selfish in any of this - people express themselves through art, is that selfish? I'm also not sure why these websites and a genuine moral character are mutually exclusive; am I a bad person because I like to post my photos on facebook so that I can have memories of my friends when I move 12 hours away from them? .."Teens writing about how they feel has allowed for a generation of visceral apathy"? How? Writing about how you feel about something inherently demonstrates the opposite of apathy, it exemplifies an opinion not indifference. I'm sorry to be rude, but I think you are way off and your ignorance has made for a rather offensive piece. Why don't you try actually studying or talking to members of my generation who utilize these websites and then you can form opinions based on at least on some type of evidence rather than a subjective (and rather warped) understanding of something you are clearly not a part
Go back and read it again. You basically just proved the author's point.
Is that so? You'd be more persuasive if you could elaborate on your opinion rather than provide an uninformative condescending response.
Dear Nommo,
Thanks for reading my latest article. It is an issue that I have contemplating and struggling with in my head for some time now. It is great to get some feedback about this modern new phenomena that has seduced an enture generation.
We will see what the future holds, what choice do we have?
The choice we always have though is to civily discuss these social changes right out in the open, and not take the lazy route of turning our cheeks and minds to a strong cultural shift such as this.
I appreciate that you read my article. This one is making a lot of people hot under the collars, always a good reaction . . .
First of all, Thank you for reading my article.
Secondly, I would like to say how glad I am that this recent piece has generated so much heated and well-though out debate and discourse.
I am also relieved to find a young person such as yourself, that you are so passionate about the matte that you would take the time to write such a long and emotional comment.
While I do not presume to make the assumption that young people are completely blank and useless souls wasting away from pure ego gratification without any redeeming qualities throughout cyberspace, I am saying that this anonymous sort of self-indlulgence has gone too far.
Chatting away anonymously to those you don't know and will never meet, which keeps one from getting out there to volunteer, protest, act and meet with people face to face without taking ownership has its downsides, and we have yet to find out what all of the repruccisions to be.
Surely, confronting issues, conversing and debating in cyberspace is better than no communication at all, but we should not choose the easy and more placid route, we should alaways strive for what is more difficult, more action-oriented, more sustaining and more community active and minded.
It is by gettung out there and listening to the ideas and witnessing the live actions of others wherein we must continue the dialogue, and definitely not just only about one's self, one's own feelings, and one's 15 minutes of fame.
Maybe I'm confused because I've never used these sites to chat anonymously to people I don't know and will never meet? Maybe that's a myspace thing?, I don't use that. It seems your article is based on your perceived purpose of these websites; I utilize facebook for entirely different reasons, which is why I think the generalizations in your argument are unfair. To assume that debating and confronting issues online precludes legitimate social action is nonsensical; there is no valid reason to assume that because someone discusses issues over a website, they are inactive in other areas and are choosing the easy route. Similarly, it does not mean our generation isn't "getting out there" and discussing issues other than themselves - my generation may or may not be guilty of that, and if so, these websites might facilitate it, but I doubt that there is a direct causal relationship and it certainly doesn't apply to everyone that uses these sites. If the one point you're trying to make is that the "self-indulgence has gone too far," I think you could have used many other examples to demonstrate that point with less misinterpretation.
I'm not actually passionate about this, and I do apologize because the emotional undertone you are sensing is misplaced. Your article caught me on a bad day (week, month..), and although our opinions differ, I would normally respond more fairly myself.
Well...
Well, to you as well. "well . . . what?"
***It's so much easier to let a kid live in their own room where you might not see them for hours, with their loss of soul buried in their computer, digital camera, iPod and cell phone at hand that you have provided***
Put the computer in the communal living room.
Problem solved.
Thanks for reading my article.
That is definitely one of the solutuins to the issue at hand-- to put the computer in th living room, assuming someone is there with those young enough to beome entirely seduced by its cybered-dr
The problem is that most parents use the comouter as a baby sitter just as they do the television and won't even bother to look at what their kids are looking at, and be happy their kids are busy from school's end until bedtime.
The issue is whether the next generation will be able to adequately hold a converstaion face to face, resolve problems in reality and one'ss stance and character without the shroud of anonymity protecting their lives.
Some very good points there. There are perhaps generational resolutions for the excess of that particular generation. What that will be we do not know yet. It will be interesting to see what happens. I think things will turn out just as fine as it has for prior generations. Some good, some bad, some sublime.
Thank you for reading my piece.
As it is true that every generation of parents have been sure that the next generation would surely cause the Decline of Western Civilization, I think this new technical and cyberspace addiction can only lead to more inclusion and less space for community activism and support, which we have always relied on in this country for strength, purpose and idealism.
It won't certainly be all bad., and hasn't been thus far. There are always postive elements and cycles to every new sociological more change.
One only needs to look at The Obama campaign and how they reached out to millions of young people, who might have stayed otherwise completely univolved and apathetic, through FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube and text messaging to generate excitement about politics and global as well as community issues and where they might fit into present and the future.
You sort of answered your own question. Prior to the 1920s (flappers and silent movies) you don't younger people rejecting the entire older generation. They might reject the values of their own parents, but they would attach themselves to other figures in the older generation.
In the 20s you start getting cultural figures like Hemingway, who invents a minor stylistic technique and then immediately starts boasting that he's better than Turgenev and Stendhal. He's a precursor of several generations of young people who insist they're going to 'change the world' but who don't really want to study the world they purport to be changing, so they never get anywhere. Don't expect any great philosophers or political reformers to emerge from today's kids.
Thanks for reading my article.
It is indeed obvious that we will have less in the way of breakthrough thinkers and artists such as Freud, Kafka, Einstein, Dylan and Hitchcock.
Indeed these masters, whether you loathe or love them, have spent endless hours in silence, contemplation and debate, and have taken the time to develop thought before they have blasted out to millions of anonymous chatters and "fans."
It in the silence, downtime and frustration that we often work out our greatest challenges and upheavals, but this takes time; not with just the tap of a keyboard, text or video.
Wow...Baby Boomers spend their youth in a struggle from which they gained wisdom and perspective. Hmmm...not sure I agree with you on that one. Baby Boomers described as a selfless generation concerned primarily about the greater good? DEFIANTELY don't agree with that one!
Defiantly or definitely?
I heart you!
Thanks for reading my article. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
I am "defintely" not saying that the Baby Boomer generation is completely without fault or completeyl selfless. No generation is.
But I can't remember a recent large protest or movement by the generation of today that has come close to any degree whatsoever to those of the 60's and '70s-- and I think that much of the apathy and disinterest is due to the house spent on anonymous ego gratification, idol worship and mindless chatter, which thus uses up valuable space and passion that could be promoted elsewhere.
No one is perfect, and no generation is without its faults or good traits, but its is hard to see through the vast cloud of mind-numbing cyber trash and sqaulor what the youth of today has actually accomplished or plans to
"the need to be constantly seen and heard leaves a generation that is heard and seen but doesn't listen much"
Which generation of youth was it that listened to their elders?
Kids today got no respect, what with their...
video games...
hippy love fests...
rock and roll...
bobby socksers fascination with Sinatra...
talking movies...
flappers..
silent movies...
I think she was talking about "listening" in the general sense.
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