The Internet era has changed the way we perceive of the world and our potential in the world. Now for the first time teens and adults who are not extravagantly wealthy can join the wealthy in forging into new psychological and real horizons with a free Windows Live Hotmail account from Microsoft and a free Facebook account. The world's vocabularly has changed as the world's potential has changed with the Internet. Now it is time for psychologists to reassess human potential as affected by the Internet.
One concern among less enthusiastic observers of the digital era has been that perhaps too much Facebooking can be harmful for the strategically developing teen psyche. Jennifer Welsh, a LiveScience staff writer, has addressed this concern in an article for LiveScience "Is Constant 'Facebooking' Bad for Teens?. This article reviews this concern in this report by Walsh.
Walsh notes that teens and college students in this era are called "digital natives," or the "iGeneration," by researchers. This is a generation which is constantly connected to the Internet and Facebook, texting and instant messaging. Now new studies have been exploring the psychological effects of constant Facebooking. Larry Rosen, a social media researcher at California State University, has said the news is both good and bad. Rosen has said while teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies, these teens also have chances to learn how to socialize. This is particularly true for shy teens.
Rosen feels that even with much negative hype surrounding excessive teen use of the Internet there are nevertheless some positive aspects of the digital lifestyle which today's teens were born into. Rosen has said "It's helping us change in good ways, in ways that help young adults connect. We may not feel like we are directly communicating as much, but we are connecting more." Shy kids now have an easier experience developing relationships, by speaking via a computer keyboard instead of in person. And when used appropriately Facebook and other social networks help to promote healthy social relationships, which is an important step in teenage development.
Rosen also feels social networks can teach teens empathy. This digital empathy can roll over into the real world. However, Rosen is concerned there may also be some associations between social network use and various mental issues, "which include traits like narcissism, a lack of empathy, increased aggression and traits associated with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and depression."
And Rosen fears at times online social networking can detract from a teen's learning and grades. Rosen has suggested teaching kids to take two-minute "tech breaks" in order to check their messages and notifications after 15 minutes of studying. Rosen feels this can help kids focus for longer and not result in social networking having negative effects on their school work. Overall, it therefore appears that the wise use of Facebook and other social networking sites can help to promote intellectual development, emotional development and mental health for teens.
Photographer: Danilo Rizzuti
