Ok, this post is primarily for youth pastors and pastors out there, but I need feedback from everyone. Here's the deal - there's been a lot of hype about myspace lately. I have a myspace account as you can see pictured above. I joined myspace for two reasons: to connect with friends from SEC and COGTS as well as to connect with the students in my youth group. I have found myspace to be a very beneficial community to be a part of. Now having said that, I am worried about some of the ethical considerations of myspace. I am not one of those fundamentalist types that says "throw the computer out," but I do think there are some questions that we need to ask.
First of all, I don't see a problem with students hanging out in online communities. I do have a problem with students hanging out in communities and pretending to be someone they are not. If you have studied postmodernism for any amount of time, you are probably well aware of the existence of co-equal truths and narratives as the basis for reality. What this simply means is that where two or three are gathered together there is reality. (No this is not in the Bible) Derrida would say that one only knows one's self to the extent that one is in relationship to the other. What I am saying is all of this, is that the relationships established on myspace, and other communities such as this one, provide the relationship to the other. Thus, what happens in these communities, and the resulting identities that students create become THE reality. Just in case you are in my youth group and are reading this, this post is not about anyone in our youth group. I am very proud of you guys for being yourself on your spaces. However, many of your friends are not.
Secondly, I am worried about predators of the students. Do you other youth pastors and parents advocate a limit to the amount of information that is shared on such spaces? Let's take this blog for instance. I am very blunt about what I believe and give details of my life. I understand what I am doing and am doing so to get feedback from friends, participate in community, and simply have an outlet. I am 26 and overweight. I am not a 16 year old female that is attractive. Thus, my thoughts are interesting only to those that want to think about issues. I am worried that the day to day information that is shared by many of these students, though innocently posted, becomes the substance that some perverted predator might feed on. I am not trying to cry wolf here, I just want some feedback on this. I know that I am presenting extremes, but I am concerned about the safety and well being of the students that I work with because I consider them friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.
3 comments:
I saw your myspace.
I think you're cute.
You want to meet for a date sometime when your parents are gone?
In all seriousness, this is an issue parents need to address. Many parents don't know what a myspace is. they have no idea that their teen has an identity on the web which might differ from the identity that they perceive.
I think the key here is prevention before you need cure.
I, too, face this issue as a Youth Minister. I think we need to educate parents and teens in how to protect themselves on the web. There is a parent in our church who is on a crusade to ban all BLOGS from our students. Of course, that is over-the-top. However, there are students who think they're being funny/cool by acting like an idiot on-line. Must be balance.
By the way, Chris, what's your myspace address?
I agree that education is really important, and I think I would encourage my students to use something like blogger rather than myspace. I understand that myspace is an easy "community" to connect with, but I think the dangers outweigh the advantages. I dropped my account because I found the whole thing to be a little weird. My bottom line is, not only are predators using myspace/facebook etc. to get info about these kids, some of the kids are losing themselves in a false reality.
Now that I have made this really really long.... Let me add that myspace is not real community. It could be a useful tool, but real community must be worked out in real time and real life.
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