Digital Nation thoughts

This post is also one that will shy away from “Here Comes Everybody” but is still a post that relates to class. I’ve also decided that while there will still be more posts related to “Here Comes Everybody” I will write posts about other things related to class so I can keep this project fresh to read but also to write. I am assuming that as long as I keep the posts related to class they will still be within the confines of the project grading criteria…….right?

Today in class (3/30/12) we Digital Nation for what seemed like the 100th time, although it was a part we haven’t seen before. The part we watched today dealt with Internet addiction, especially seen in South Korea and how the South Korean government is trying to handle this Internet addiction. Being included in the gaming community I have read stories of people in these Internet cafes that have died from long gaming sessions. People will literally sit and play and do nothing else. I remember reading one report of a man who died playing the computer game Starcraft for over 30 straight hours. He never left his seat, not to eat or use the bathroom. Disgusting, I know. But the thing is, is that South Korea is taking a good step forward by recognizing that there is such a thing as Internet and gaming addictions. This is something that America should consider so we don’t have to hear stories about people letting their children drown in the tub because they are too busy playing games on Facebook.

But the thing that really stood out to me in the part we watched today was when they went to a school and they were teaching really young kids etiquette on the Internet. The most amazing aspect was that they teach these kids “netiquette” at a very early age, basically the same age they teach these kids how to read. At first I was surprised that they held using the Internet as the same level of importance as reading but in a country that deals with a strong addiction it makes perfect sense and is something that should spread across the world. By teaching these kids how to properly use the Internet and how to use it in moderation they will grow up and hopefully be able to control themselves and not fall victim to over usage. With kids be taught at such a young age they can also be taught to use the Internet as an information tool first and an entertainment tool second. That is something that I think will pay off a couple generations from now for them as they raise these kids as using the Internet to help with school projects and to find information instead of just using it as a distraction. Of course this will also fall on parents to make sure they practice this train of thought at home.

I really believe that by teaching these kids the proper use of a computer and the Internet at such a young age will pay off in the long run and is a model I would like to see parents/schools take up here in the states. Too often it seems that parents use the Internet as a way to distract their kids and don’t teach them how to use it properly which leads to kids giving away personal information and downloading things that give the computer viruses and things like that. I like to think that when I have kids I will teach them how to use the Internet properly and teach them to use self-control when it comes to computer usage. I will probably wait until they have learned how to read first and I probably won’t teach them to sing a song like those South Korean kids in Digital Nation. Ok maybe I will teach them that song.