Kid, you posted WHAT?! How to raise a digital citizen | Keegan Korf | TEDxOmaha
Summary
TLDRThe speaker, a proud 'xennial' born between 1977 and 1983, recounts her generation's unique blend of analog and digital experiences, from early internet days to Facebook's early exclusivity. She humorously reflects on her own online missteps and the broader cultural shift towards digital transparency, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining a clean digital footprint. As an educator, she discusses the importance of digital citizenship, the fear instilled in youth about online mistakes, and offers advice for parents to support their children's digital journey, advocating for understanding and guidance rather than fear.
Takeaways
- π The speaker identifies with the 'Xennial' micro-generation, born between 1977 and 1983, who experienced both analog and digital childhoods.
- π Xennials remember the transition from landlines to the internet, with early experiences including dial-up modems and AOL screen names.
- π The speaker reminisces about the early days of Facebook being limited to college students, which was a significant part of their young adult life.
- π« Facebook's decision to open to the public in 2006 caused panic among early users who had shared personal content under the assumption of privacy.
- π« As an educator, the speaker had to clean up their online presence to model digital citizenship for students, which involved deleting old photos and social media accounts.
- π The speaker emphasizes the importance of online narrative reflecting one's true self, advocating for authenticity over a perfectly filtered online image.
- π« There's a societal pressure on young people to maintain a flawless online image, which can be detrimental to their sense of self and freedom of expression.
- πΆ The speaker expresses anxiety about raising a child in the digital age, considering the challenges of screen time, social media, and the potential for online experimentation.
- π€ The speaker calls for a village approach to parenting, where trusted adults can support and guide young people in their online activities.
- π οΈ Parents are encouraged to educate themselves on digital platforms, set boundaries, and engage with their children's online lives responsibly.
- π Despite technological advancements, the speaker concludes that raising digital citizens is an extension of raising responsible real-life citizens, with a focus on understanding and empathy.
Q & A
What is the term used to describe individuals born between 1977 and 1983?
-Individuals born between 1977 and 1983 are referred to as 'Xennials', a micro-generation that falls between Generation X and Millennials.
What is unique about the childhood of Xennials?
-Xennials had an analogue childhood followed by a deep dive into a digital young adulthood, which means they experienced both the pre-digital and early digital eras.
What was the significance of the AOL screen name and dial-up modem for Xennials?
-The AOL screen name and dial-up modem were significant as they represented the early means of connecting with friends and strangers in chat rooms, marking the beginning of their digital socialization.
Why was the 2004 launch of Facebook a pivotal moment for the speaker?
-The 2004 launch of Facebook was pivotal because, at the time, it was restricted to college students with a college or university email address, which coincided with the speaker's young adulthood and the start of their online social life.
How did the 2006 opening of Facebook to the public affect the speaker and their peers?
-The 2006 opening of Facebook to the public caused panic among the speaker and their peers, as it exposed their previously private online activities to a broader audience.
What steps did the speaker take to clean up their online reputation before entering the education field?
-The speaker sifted through old photos, removed tags, deleted many of them, unfriended people, and shut down old social media accounts to clean up their online reputation.
Why did the speaker consider not posting a photo from their graduation day?
-The speaker considered not posting a photo from their graduation day because it included a cocktail and a pack of cigarettes, which they feared could negatively impact their teaching career.
What message does the speaker convey about the online behavior of teenagers today?
-The speaker conveys that teenagers today are not using social media for inappropriate behavior as much as previous generations did, but they are still sharing images that could be regretted later.
What advice does the speaker give to parents regarding their children's online activities?
-The speaker advises parents to support their children by listening, educating themselves, setting boundaries, and exploring social media platforms alongside their children to help them navigate digital literacy responsibly.
What is the speaker's perspective on the challenges of raising digital natives?
-The speaker acknowledges the anxiety of raising digital natives but emphasizes the importance of remembering that every generation faces unique challenges and that the core of raising responsible citizens remains the same, whether in real life or online.
Outlines
π Xenials: Bridging Analog and Digital Worlds
The speaker identifies with the 'Xenial' micro-generation, born between 1977 and 1983, who experienced an analogue childhood and a digital young adulthood. They recall the early days of the internet with dial-up modems and AOL screen names, contrasting this with the more controlled online environment of today's youth. The speaker humorously reflects on their own online behavior at 20, noting the difference between their perception of wholesomeness and reality. They discuss the panic that ensued when Facebook opened to the public, affecting the privacy of their generation's online interactions. The speaker, now working in education, emphasizes the importance of modeling digital citizenship and the challenges of managing one's online reputation, especially in light of the permanence of digital footprints.
π€³ The Pressure of Perfection in the Digital Age
The speaker expresses concern over the curated online narratives that have become prevalent due to the fear of damaging one's digital identity. They discuss the unrealistic expectations placed on young people to maintain a flawless online presence, which can lead to anxiety and a distorted self-image. The speaker acknowledges the challenges of teaching digital citizenship and the responsibility adults have in guiding youth to use social media positively. They also touch on the importance of understanding and engaging with the social media platforms that young people use, advocating for a supportive and educational approach rather than one of fear and restriction.
π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ Navigating Parenting in the Digital Era
The speaker, anticipating parenthood, shares their anxieties about raising a child in the digital age, considering the complexities of screen time, social media, and the potential risks associated with online activities. They emphasize the need for parents to set boundaries and educate themselves on digital platforms to better support their children. The speaker suggests that parents should be involved in their children's online lives, not as intrusive figures but as quiet, observant supporters. They conclude by reminding the audience that despite the evolution of technology, the principles of raising responsible citizens remain the same, whether in the digital or real world.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Xennial
π‘Analogue Childhood
π‘Digital Young Adulthood
π‘Dial-up Modem
π‘Social Media
π‘Digital Citizenship
π‘Online Reputation
π‘Sexting
π‘Digital Literacy
π‘Screen Time
π‘Parenting in the Digital Age
Highlights
Introduction of the 'Xenial' micro-generation born between 1977 and 1983.
Xenials have an analogue childhood and a digital young adulthood.
Personal anecdote of getting a teen line at 13 and early internet experiences.
Reminiscing about the early days of Facebook and its initial exclusivity to college students.
The shift in social media behavior when Facebook opened to the public in 2006.
The importance of modeling digital citizenship for students in the education sector.
The speaker's efforts to clean up their online reputation before entering teaching.
The challenge of managing one's digital identity in the age of social media.
The fear of posting personal moments online due to potential judgment and career implications.
The pressure on young people to maintain a perfect online image.
The role of the frontal cortex in decision-making and its impact on teenagers' online behavior.
Advice on how to support teenagers in their online activities and the importance of listening.
The need for parents and educators to educate themselves on digital platforms to better guide children.
Setting boundaries for children's screen time and device usage as a parenting strategy.
The speaker's anticipation and anxiety about parenting in the digital age.
Encouragement to remember that all generations have faced challenges in adolescence and young adulthood.
The conclusion that raising digital citizens is an extension of raising responsible real-life citizens.
Transcripts
raise your hand if you were born between
the years 1977 to 1983 all right it's
quite a few of you in the audience well
congratulations you my friends are of a
very unique micro generation known as
xenial
Ossie Niall is a person who falls
somewhere between Generation X and the
Millennial generations and they share
characteristics of both in addition to
sharing a very unique experience an
analogue childhood followed by a deep
dive into a digital young adulthood I am
a proud xenial I remember being gifted a
teen line in my bedroom at just 13 years
old because my parents couldn't bear me
tying up the phone lines any longer I
remember signing online using an AOL
screen name and a dial-up modem to
connect with my friends and complete
strangers in chat rooms I am of a
generation where in order to use
Facebook when it came out in 2004 you
had to be a college student with a
college or university email address at
this time I was just 20 years old
another show of hands here up high if
you think that at 20 years old I was the
most wholesome version of myself if your
hands are raised you are sadly mistaken
see I wasn't a bad kid but I was
exploring my independence the difference
was that for the first time in history I
was exploring that independence
alongside my peers in an online space we
were going to parties posting photos
from those parties and we were leaving
comments using rather colorful
language to express ourselves please
remember that at this time my mom wasn't
on Facebook my baby brother wasn't on
Facebook my grandmother
certainly wasn't on Facebook this was a
safe space for me and my peer group to
socialize and
communicate fast forward to 2006 in a
horrifying turn of events Facebook
decides to go public with its platform
leaving me and my peers in a panic when
I try to explain this historical
phenomenon to teenagers today I often
say to them
imagine if suddenly snapchat was like
just kidding we're gonna make your
photos available to everyone the kids I
say this to gasp in horror as if this
thought has never crossed their mind
because it hasn't kids today aren't
using snapchat as a prime resource for
inappropriate tomfoolery but they are
sending lots of photos out into the
world of themselves with double chins
and cat filters that they likely
wouldn't want a significant other or a
future employer to see today I work in a
public school system let's face it
entering education means all eyes are on
you and you have to model digital
citizenship for your students when I
began teaching I thought man I have got
to clean up my online reputation so I
did I started sifting through old photos
removing tags and deleting many of them
altogether I went on an unfriending
frenzy
I started shutting down old social media
accounts that I didn't use anymore fun
fact did you know that in order to
delete your old myspace account you have
to sacrifice the blood of your firstborn
child seriously it is a rigorous process
but there are a lot of things that the
person you see standing here today has
in common with the 20-year old version
of me I still mess up in real life and
online but I believe that our online
narrative should reflect our true selves
my actual life is not perfectly filtered
and my online life shouldn't have to be
either but I didn't always subscribe to
this idea this photo captures one of the
happy
days during the most exciting part of my
life to date this was the day I
graduated and earned my master's degree
just two weeks before my wedding day at
2:00 my very best friend this is also
the spring before I would begin my
career as an educator I did so much of
what I posted online and how I thought
about how I represented myself in that
space that for a moment I considered not
posting this photo at all see while we
look like two very very happy young
people in this picture because we were
and still very much are if you take a
closer look you'll notice that in the
corner of this photo there's a cocktail
and a pack of cigarettes I'm not even
sure if they were mine but I feared so
deeply that if the wrong people saw this
image that I would be shunned and I
could be fired and I would lose my
teaching certificate so I cropped the
photo
add this to the list of filtered moments
that I began to curate as part of my
online narrative the pendulum swung so
much when people my age realized that
our digital identities were going to be
determined by what we posted on social
media that we really started to give
young people the impression that they
couldn't ever make a mistake online
today adults constantly tell kids they
can't ever mess up on the Internet or
else they're never gonna get a job or
they're never gonna get into college and
their lives are gonna be ruined forever
we've done such a good job of planting
this seed of fear that instead of
helping our children by empowering them
to use social media for good they truly
believe that they have the power to
destroy their own reputation the part of
a teenager's mind that's responsible for
decision-making the frontal cortex isn't
fully developed yet and won't be until
they reach their early to mid-20s
sometimes young people post things
online that they don't even realize will
create an impact on themselves or others
other times they post click share and
after the fact realize that they've done
something they shouldn't have teaching
digital citizens is tough it's hard to
imagine raising them but after six
incredible years of marriage my husband
and I are finally ready to become
parents everyone tells us how well
equipped we'll be to parent during this
digital shift this digital age but for
as excited as I am to have a baby
someday soon I am still riddled with
anxiety I mean think about it some day
our hypothetical sweet tiny little baby
will become a teenager
how on earth will we handle screen time
and schoolwork and drama and social
media an experimentation with drinking
and sex and drugs and rock and roll
especially if they're posting about it
all online but wait this is the first
time we've ever done this not just my
husband and i's impending parenthood but
this is the first time that multiple
generations of people are raising
digital natives so we need to help
support them there's gonna come a time
in our future child's life when they're
going to post something online that is
less than acceptable to us many of you
have experienced this already when this
time comes we need to help support them
by lending an ear to listen I know I
know teenagers don't always turn to
their parents first when they're in a
crisis but they have relationships with
adults they trust if they aren't turning
to you maybe they're turning to a
teacher or even a peer that they look up
to and that's okay it still takes a
village so embrace that village we can
help support our kids by educating
ourselves and pointing them in the
direction of resources available to them
to help them manage their online lives
make them aware of laws that pertain to
sexting in the state where you live
seek out digital literacy opportunities
together at your local public libraries
I know this is a tough one but we need
to explore the social media platforms
our children are using so we can live in
those spaces alongside them helping them
to navigate the waters of digital
literacy more responsibly as your kid on
snapchat create an account dive in and
let your kid teach you how to use the
filters connect with them there or in
other social media platforms as a quiet
follower one who sees what they're doing
without interacting or without hovering
over the
every move technology will continue to
evolve exponentially but the most
important thing we can do as parents is
to set boundaries with our child's media
use and their devices set screen time
limits charge their devices in your
bedroom at night not theirs don't allow
devices at the table while eating or in
the car while driving and that means me
and you two parents I'm still riddled
with anxiety about becoming a parent but
I need to step back
zoom out on my worries and remember that
our parents face challenges too and
their parents before them so anytime
that you posted what thought crosses
your mind I want you to pause and think
about all the ridiculous stuff you did
while your young minds were still
developing no matter what generation you
came from we all experimented with
substances our bodies and ideas as
adolescents and as young adults no
matter how much technology has shifted
we need to step back
zoom out on our worries and remember
that raising digital citizens is no
different than raising in real-life
citizens thank you
[Applause]
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