Virtual Friends: Hijacking our Kids From Real Relationships
March 19th, 2010 by admin
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/11/11/o.too.much.communication/index.html#cnnSTCText
Research shows that individuals who are being cyberbullied, are so by someone they know and consider a “Friend”. Are they really a friend though? Because of technology advancements like social networking sites and smart phones kids can access kids 24/7 and data is coming back that shows this next generation is reporting to be more social than any generation before. Are they more social or are they just online more? They are building real relations around the clock with virtual people they have never met in person and they consider them to be “friends”. The article references the MySpace case two years ago where the young girl took her own life over a break up with a Virtual Boyfriend, who she never met in real life. Whether or not they never met, her emotions were as though they did. Social Networking sites have blurred the need for real Relations and building emotional trust between real friends. Do you think this next generation will define friendship much different than previous generations? How might parents, schools, and community respond to the emerging trend of virtual friendships?
Tags: bullying, cyber threats, internet safety, online predators, school bullies, virtual friends, virtual worlds, youth violence
May 23rd, 2010 at 4:51 pm
cyber bullying is wrong!
April 24th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
I love your point of view and seems like I’m not the only one.
May 3rd, 2011 at 10:10 am
Yes, it is scary who these kids consider friends without ever meeting them. I do think the next generation will definitely define friendship different than we do today. With social networking, smart phones, and texting, I think alot of students have forgotten or do use the most important interaction between people; which is face to face talking and discussing. To address all of this change, we as teachers, parents, and communities must get the information out about what to look for in a real friend. I only think these tragic stories of kids killing themselves over virtual friends or because of cyber bullying are only going to get worse. It is up to us to try and make a difference.
May 4th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
It is sad that cyber-bullying has taken the efffect on kids that it has. We however as the aduklts need to recognize that with the advances in technologies there is a change in the defintion of friends. Maybe instead of teaching life skills on responsibilty and selfconfidence in school, we are also going to have to start teaching students how these skills integrate themselves into the technology and look more at “What is a friend?, What are acceptable things for a friend to do?, What are unacceptable things for a friend to do?” We are going to have to equip the youth with more social skills considering the world they are entering in to.
May 12th, 2011 at 11:25 am
I think that cyber-relationships have caused real relationships to suffer. Students especially feel uncensored in the cyber world and will say just about anything to anyone. They feel there are fewer consequences or that they won’t even get caught. I think we will see this get worse with future generations. Even adults have changed how they communicate. It is much easier to send an email to someone expressing your anger than it is to speak with them in person. Or a text, etc. People don’t want to talk to people anymore; the cyber world seems easier to them.
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