Visiting Editors: The perils of living in a digital society
Millennials have grown up online
Millennials are everywhere and they are taking the world by storm.
According to the Pew Research Center, the generation known as millennials, born in the early 1980s to the late ’90s, are projected to surpass the baby boomers in number. The difference between the oldest millennial (age 34) and the youngest millennial (age 16) is their presence on social media.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr weren’t introduced to older millennials until they were in college. The 25-to-35 crowd was allowed to experience life without the digital invasion. Going forward, no other group of people will know that pleasure.
Older millennials experienced being emotional teenagers much as their parents had. Rumors went as far as the high school sidewalk. “Live chatting” was still done face-to-face. If there were fights, they stayed near campus and no one could check in unless it was through the front office.
That’s changed for younger millennials. Never before have members of a generation been able to document their entire lives for the world to see – sometimes using live action. It’s a new world, and those who are older have the disadvantage.
Bullies can go into hyper-drive and then hide behind a screen name. There once was a time when bullies could only bully in person. Though friends and loved ones use social media for good, when used to intimidate, bully or vandalize, the same media can be very, very bad. The ability to humiliate through new platforms such as Snapchat are endless.
Being an emotional teenager is hard enough with parents who don’t understand and friends who sometimes act more like enemies. Life has always seemed really rough for those trying to navigate being 16. But being online at 16 adds an entirely new dimension to growing up. And often, parents are utterly unable to help or understand: These problems didn’t exist when they were 16.
In some ways, young millennials are on their own. What a terrible predicament for the presidential candidates of 2052.
Washington is the volunteer coordinator for the Stanislaus County Area Agency on Aging.
Cyberbulling vs. free speech
Cyberbullying is not just for kids anymore; it’s becoming a national pastime for adults.
Anyone at anytime can become a victim of an anonymous computer user. Vicious accusations and insulting and offensive language can be spread worldwide with the tap of a finger. Careers can be destroyed, relationships broken, and unthinkable tragedy has resulted.
In the past, bullying has been associated with kids and teens. Being bullied as kids can lead to personal trauma. Kids who originally reported being bullied were also the most likely to be diagnosed later with panic disorder or depression; they also admitted to considering suicide as young adults. Dr. Mark Schuster of Boston Children’s Hospital reported that “studies call attention to just how serious bullying can be, and it reinforces that it is not just a rite of passage or just growing up. From what we understand, it can have serious, long-term consequences.”
Studies have shown the childhood bully often becomes the grown-up bully. We have become increasingly aware of news stories reporting adults who lack the ability to feel empathy, have no understanding of boundaries and have a need to control others. These are often adult bullies. It is unfortunate when the victim has no way to identify or verify the individual who is bullying them.
Sometimes, bullying is done under the guise of freedom of expression. We must establish policies to distinguish between free speech and threatening language.
The case of the bullied teenager who committed suicide after a friend’s mother used a fake MySpace profile to attack the teen is well known. There are others detailed on the website wetakeastand.com, created in 2012 to help combat online bullying. The mother was convicted only of misdemeanor. We should ask how to draw the line between harmful harassment and constitutionally protected speech.
Legislatively, it appears politicians believe the First Amendment protects both reprehensible online speech as well as political speech.
Is harassment a form of free speech or a criminal act? Do we place more importance on being politically correct than we put on being morally correct?
Garber, Ph.D., is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Groveland.
BECOME A VISITING EDITOR
Each quarter, The Bee invites a few members of the community to join our editorial board through our visiting editor program. The board meets once a week (Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m.), often engaging community leaders and activists on public issues ranging from agriculture to water to politics. Visiting editors serve three months and have a opportunity to write short editorials on topics of their choosing. To apply, send an email and resume to mdunbar@modbee.com or call (209) 578-2325 for more information.
This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Visiting Editors: The perils of living in a digital society."