That’s So Yesterday!
Talking on the Phone?
According to Barnes, “the Police Jury has found that there’s a certain audience in our community who get most of their news from social media.” That doesn’t just include traditional news, like what’s happening in government; today, it also includes news on what friends and family are doing, thinking, and believing. Sites like Facebook and MySpace give users an opportunity to openly share their thoughts on topics that were once considered off-limits in casual conversation. “These profiles allow you to really express all of your opinions on once taboo topics, like politics and religion. Our culture is radically changing the way we once verbalized our beliefs. If people don’t like what you have to say, it’s much easier to disagree over an Internet post than in person. This year I have seen my fair share of Facebook debating over politics,” Kratzer said. According to Dr. Archer, the shorthand, easy way people communicate when they’re not dealing with face-to-face interaction could be considered one of the greatest appeals of networking sites. “A different protocol is accepted among personal interaction verses phone interaction, and phone interaction versus Internet interaction. That’s one of the appeals of using sites like these; they are to the point and easy to access with very little need for formality” Dr. Archer said. “Another obvious appeal is the ability to get/give information quickly. Most of us are juggling five balls in the air and it can be difficult to keep up with everyone/everything that is in our life. These sites allow us to do that.” Although he considers online networking to be just another aspect of the ever-evolving world of communication, he noted that “it is important to have balance in your life. Obviously the Internet shouldn’t be your only form of interaction.” “I believe that social networking sites allow us to reconnect and stay August 2009
enot. | | Aubrenee Font
connected with old friends, as well as allowing for more business networking, but at the same time I don’t think that we need to get so out of touch with friends and loved ones that this is the only way we communicate,” Kratzer said. “Social networking is convenient, but faceto-face communication is much more fulfilling.” Thrive Magazine is one of dozens of local businesses who utilize Facebook to stay connected with their fan base. So if you’re on Facebook, friend us. You’ll be the first to know about upcoming stories, be able to give us input on future topics, and have the chance to win great prizes.
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Aubrenee Fontenot has 172 contacts in her phone and sends and receives hundreds of text messages each day – sometimes more than 1,000 a week. For pre-teens like her, talking on the phone has gone out of style, along with traditional emails. “It’s so much easier to say what you want on a text than over the phone,” Aubrenee explains, as she responds to one of her texts. “Normally we just use email for photos and stuff.” The seventh-grader also maintains a Facebook page, for which her mother, Chastity Fontenot Kratzer, has the username and password. “There has to be limitations set for everything from cell phone usage to social networking. I check Aubrenee’s Facebook page frequently. With this new technology comes new worries for parents,” Chastity said. “We want to give them the freedom to use these social networks, but at the same time, it’s our job to protect them from the negative aspects of it.” That’s exactly the attitude parents should have, according to licensed professional counselor Scott Riviere of Kidz Inc. Riviere, who has nearly 20 years experience with children and families, said parents first need to understand that their own limitations, as well as the limitations that they should put on their children. “Much has been talked about regarding the negative aspects of technology, but it’ll happen whether we like it or not,” Riviere said. “No matter how many changes there are in society, the rules of parenting have never changed. We still need to watch over our children, check on them, and provide rules and limitations. That’s the role we play, as parents.” Riviere notes that creating rules is only the first step toward good parenting; once rules are established, consequences should be understood as well. “You can’t have rules without any consequences. That’s like a speed limit on a road without cops,” he said. It can be disconcerting for parents to admit that there are certain aspects of young behavior that can’t be controlled, yet Riviere said the role of a parent is to make sure their children are exposed to good behavior at home, and that includes a clear understanding that there are consequences to poor decisions. He uses the current phenomenon known as “sexting” as an example. Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos through a cell phone. According to the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, about 20 percent of teens have participated in some form of sexting. Adults have no trouble comprehending the potential repercussions of sexting; most are perplexed as to why teens would engage in behavior that has such obvious damaging consequences. But for a teenager, sexting is no big deal if all their friends are doing it, Riviere said. “Teenagers don’t think like adults. Let’s get that straight right now. They can’t think like adults because their brain isn’t fully developed yet. Most teens can’t see the big picture. That’s why it’s important that they understand there are rules and consequences to bad decisions – even if they can’t see the long-term damage of their decisions, they can certainly see the immediate damage that would happen at home,” Riviere said. “You can’t control everything your teenager does, but you can certainly show them where the fence is what will happen if they step outside of it.” He added that a teenager’s privacy should never take precedence over their safety. Responsible parents should and will review their child’s cell phone bill and keep track of their Internet behavior as much as possible. “If you do your job as a parent, you can’t prevent bad decisions, but you can help shape them to make good ones,” he said. “They need to be exposed to good behavior and wise decision-making at home. They need to know that their parents are checking up on them and watching over their shoulders. They need to understand the values of their family, and what happens when those values are compromised.” Despite the widely reported negative aspects of the role of modern technology in the life of teens, Riviere noted that online networking and texting has its benefits, especially for youth who are shy or intimidated by face-to-face interaction. Although he admits that not all interaction should be limited to texting or online Web sites, he accepts that this mode of communication could help youth in other forms of interaction. Magazine Better Living by Erin K.forCormier
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