Within reading the article this week by Shah and Abraham, I felt like the term Digital Native was explained and broken down, however the tone carried a slight sense of worry.  This digital age we are in becomes a sort of limbo of information.  We, the digital age, are seeing things from a new perspective and in a new light then those not of the digital age.  They have a sense of worry of the unknown, but I feel as if our age has more of a sense of wonder and curiosity towards the subject matter.

“The term ‘Digital Natives’ (Prensky, 2001) is slowly becoming ubiquitous amongst scholars and activists working in the youth-technology sector, especially in emerging Information Societies. The phrase is generally used to differentiate the generation that was born after 1980 – who has an unprecedented (and often inexplicable) relationship with information technology. It is a term used to make us aware of the fact that these people are everywhere”

‘Aware of the fact that these people are everywhere”… it almost makes Digital Natives sound like a bad omen.  Instead I agreed more from this section of the text,

“Digital Natives are sensitive and thoughtful; it is time to listen to them and their ideas, and to focus on their development as responsible and active citizens rather than on their digital exploits or technologised interests.”

Digital natives should be embraced and accepted in a society where they are most prominent.  However, I do not think we should punish or discriminate against adults who are not open to the group of digital natives.  This is because our ways of ‘growing up’ were very different what we have is so different than what we had 30 years ago.  Time increasingly changes perspectives of generations.  In 30 years who knows maybe we will have evolved to a different set of technology and us as digital natives will be a thing of the past.

I came across a blog by Harvard summer Interns that highlights the experiences of being born in a digital age. Small teams of interns formed video interpretations and presentations from out of their own perspectives and experiences, as well as the ways in which the topic intersected with being a Digital Native.

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/youthandmediaalpha/publications/videos/borndigital/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pta08f6h9L8

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/social-media-changed-way-talk-race-justice/

We see the idea of ‘super publics’ described in Boyd’s reading for this week defining an ever changing public. Thus using examples of Bloomberg dressing the ‘local’ paper as The New York Times, and referencing his audience as New Yorkers, not a village in Kenya.  This idea of dressing an audience is very pertinent to the selfie world.  The particular facial expression, smile, or random object in the background is  inherently trying to market and be shared with a particular public.  However, we can see this go terribly wrong when selfie etiquette is not properly met.  We often see this within the controversial Obama selfie at Mandela’s funeral or the Auschwitz selfie.  While  both may have been done in good taste, does that mean that they are actually okay?  When searching selfie etiquette on google the first thing that pops up is a list of 8 simple rules that selfie takers should be aware of and take precaution to.

1.Get permission. If you want to take a photo of yourself, with no one else in the picture, by all means, go ahead. However, if someone else is in it, make sure the other person is okay with it. Let her know what you plan to do with it and stick to your plan. Don’t post anywhere different without her permission.

2. Safety comes first. Never take a selfie in a situation that can put your life or health in danger. For example, you may think you look really cool driving along the highway with the window open, your hair blowing in the breeze. If you pull out your camera to shoot a selfie, you’re putting not only your own life in danger, you’re risking anyone else who just happens to be on the road.

3.Don’t succumb to bad taste for humor’s sake. If you are in a situation that you think is funny, stop and consider how it will appear to others. Never take a selfie in a public restroom where someone else may be in an embarrassing position or situation.

4.Be respectful. If you are at a holocaust museum, taking a selfie in front of an exhibit shows a lack of respect for those whose lives were lost in this horrific era. People’s emotions are still raw over what happened, and they are likely to be that way for centuries. There are places where selfies are never appropriate, including a funeral, ICU or critical care unit in a hospital, and disaster site where people died.

5. Show kindness. When you see someone who is less fortunate than you, don’t stop and pose for a selfie. Instead, do something nice like give a blanket to a homeless man, offer to get something off a top shelf for a handicapped person, or hold a door for a young mom struggling with toddlers and packages.

6. Offer help, not a photo. If you witness an accident or someone getting injured, call for emergency help and stay with the person. Don’t whip out your cell phone and start snapping selfies as you assist. The only time you should take a picture of the situation is if it can be of some help later to show what happened. Never post the photos of a tragedy or accident on social media.

7. Don’t post intimate selfie shots. I’ve recently seen some selfies that have made me blush, and I don’t get embarrassed easily. My first reaction is to block those people from my social media feed because it’s clear that they have bad taste. It might be fun to make out with your boyfriend on the bus, but it’s inappropriate to share it with the world.

8. Don’t overdo selfies in social media. If you want to snap photos of yourself waking up, eating your morning cereal, working out at the gym, walking into your cubicle, having lunch with friends, leaving work at the end of the day, and having drinks with friends, go right ahead. Just don’t think everyone wants to see every single aspect of your day. Choose one good one (preferably one that is interesting to someone other than you and your mama) and post it. If you do more, people may see you as narcissistic.

http://etiquette.about.com/od/Manners/fl/8-Selfie-Etiquette-Tips.htm

This list seemed to me the most logical and practical way of taking a selfie.  We often see crude things such as these unfortunate photos that don’t take other human beings into consideration.  While the selfie may be for you, you need to think about the public around you before you share that photo.

(How not to selfie)

http://www.oddee.com/item_99032.aspx

While reviewing the images on the link above, I became really angered that someone would actually think it was okay to take a photo at that particular time.  Especially the selfie of the homeless man, as well as the selfie of the suicidal man.  These two examples are done in bad taste and make you question what public was there target audience?

Selfiecity clearly demonstrated the demographics of the selfie and how cities can demonstrate a particular emotion through a photo.  However, it would be interesting to see if they came across selfies in bad taste, or what they categorized as inherently a ‘bad selfie.’

We see the idea of moral panic heavily reviewed and criticized in the text by Boyd. This ‘moral panic’ that parents face, not only takes away from a child’s social understanding but also could curb them later on. While it is the natural instict of a parent to protect their child, often times this can be exaggerated.  We can see in today’s world since the prevalence of Apple, that the use of Apps in relation to social media can be restricted, hidden or even turned off.

I decided to simply ‘google’ devices for monitoring child Internet activity. I was astounded by the amount of apps that parents have readily available to them these days. This website caught my attention:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/parental-control-apps-android/

It highlights 8 free apps for your smartphone to monitor your child’s activity within the Internet. The article highlights that we should not shut out technology together from a child’s life completely but we should be able to have the ability to control it. Control: however can be defined in many different ways. Throughout Boyd’s texts her accounts with many teens and the way their parents control or conform there Internet usage spreads along a wide range. For example we see the use of secondary devices like apps or websites that let parents check their child’s text messages, website streaming history, as well as their social media networks. One site, very popular among parents is the site Teensafe.com. The website locks the user in with keywords life: safe, and child. But what they are really doing is looking into the private conversations and lives of teens and children.

“What if we told you that modern technology has made it easier than ever for us to know what our kids are up to and keep them safe?  

This exclusive infographic illustrates that, while the threats of the digital world are real, they’re no match for an equipped parent.

TeenSafe brings protective parents and smartphone tech together to safeguard what we all value most, the great kids that depend on us.”

While there are dangers of the Internet the dialogue of children trying to survive in a virtual world may be curbed. We see the example Boyd gives of a nerd-like boy from the “ghetto” that changed his Myspace profile to represent gang signs, when his college application was set to end gang violence. While he may not support gangs, he did what he needed to survive within a social situation. This applies to life before the computer as well in different social circles. As parents are not there for every real life conversation their child/teen has, it should not mean that they should be tracked and their conversation should be analyzed. I am not saying that parents should not keep track of what their child is doing and not play an active role in their life, especially when it comes to the internet, but I do believe independence and forming your on social life is part of being a child and adolescence.