Internet socialising
Tuesday 17 July 2007
The internet is no longer the place for nerds and geeks to spend hours on, everybody uses it - in fact the internet practically runs our lives. But how important is the internet in your social life? A recent film commissioned by the Ofcom Consumer Panel looks at how young people use the internet at home.
Instant friends
Instant messengers like MSN or Yahoo, allow you to speak to friends at the click of a mouse anywhere in the world, for free. If there's someone you don't want to talk to or you are too busy to chat, you can pretend you are "away". You can even block people you don't want to speak to at all.
Social networking sites like Myspace, Bebo and Facebook allow you to create your own profile, add friends to your network and also see other people's pictures and read about their lives.
The internet is also a place to promote your talents, such as uploading films on to YouTube, promoting songs on Myspace or putting pictures up on Flickr for the world to see (not always a good thing!). Nobody writes letters anymore – why bother when you can get hold of someone instantly in about five different ways?
But is it sociable?
Socially speaking, you now have the power to talk to millions of people at your fingertips – but does it mean you are being more sociable? Internet addiction means that people are tending to spend more time looking at a screen than going outside to physically interact with their friends.
Many teenagers also admit to getting no excercise and little sleep, spending hours in front of a computer screen instead. Spending too much time online can also make your existing ‘offline’ relationships with people suffer.
However a recent report found that socialising on the internet could be helping teenagers cope with the stresses of modern day life. Chatting online is often an innovative way to share homework tips, learn new social skills, and build new relationships. If your parents have broadband it is also a good way for them to save on the phone bill!
Safety
The internet is a great place most of the time, but you’ve got to remember to be careful when you’re on it. You should never to go to meet anyone you’ve made friends with online by yourself, or without an adult you trust, and never ever give your bank or phone details out to people.
A website run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection called ThinkUKnow gives you all the info on staying safe online. It even has a page where you can report anything you feel is a bit dodgy online. Read n2k's tips to help you stay safe whilst you're having fun.
