Totally Wired was marketed as "Everything you need to know about young people and the digital revolution still to come". Chris Curtis who made the presentation was not wrong! In a couple of hours we looked at the impact of technology on our lives and how it is changing them even now. I learned about the term ‘disruptive technology' which is something that changes our lives, not just makes things a bit easier. One example is the combustion engine, which not only enabled us to travel further more easily but opened up ease of trade and new opportunities. The digital revolution has a number of such disruptive technologies that are changing the way people live.
Did you know that it took 120 years for 1 billion land line phones to be sold in the world? It took just 20 years for the same number of mobile phones, and just 3 years for the second billion!
Did you know there are now 4 billion mobile phones in the world, population 6 billion, with places like China where 56% of the population has a phone - and guess what where 126% of the UK population has a phone - we just don't get rid of them, or do you have one for work, one for personal?
Chris highlighted some of the positive aspects of technology enabling us to keep in touch with each other very easily, or in fact to avoid each other as new technology can show us where our ‘friends' are! He also shared some of the more challenging aspects of technology and the real dangers for young people who are very trusting. In a survey over 14% of teenagers admitted to talking to a stranger on the internet. The problem he highlighted was the ease with which you can create a profile that is nothing like you, a 50 year old man can be a teenager, a teenage boy can be a girl, you name it, we can create it. Go to second life website and you can live out that live in the person you created. Chris posed the question that psychologists are asking at the moment - how does having this created persona affect how a young person, for whom teenage years are the time when image is a major thing and we are working out who we are.
Chris talked about Social Networking sites including Club Penguin which is targeted at 5-8 year olds! His biggest concern was for chat rooms and he feels it is important that young people are helped to understand the dangers - for instance 44% of teenagers have spoken to a stranger on line and 26% would give their home address out on line. He also showed us how if you give your email to someone in a chat room, everyone else can see it.
Chris wasn't saying all technology is bad, far from it, but he did suggest some simple ways we can respond:
1. Set boundaries for our children (of all ages):
Place & time
No go sites
Privacy settings eg on facebook etc - you set them!
If confused he suggested Googling "facebook privacy settings help" for some useful step by step guidelines.
2. Share knowledge:
Try it yourself
Talk to others
Get advice
3. Stay talking with young people:
Ask their advice
Share stories (of the things you have seen/read about so they understand the dangers)
Pick your battles!
It's all about education and helping this generation of ‘digital natives' to understand.
If you missed the evening it is available on dvd from Urban Saints at http://www.urbansaints.org/pages/10670/Totally_Wired_DVD.htm
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