High Tech or High Risk:Moral Panics about Girls Online
“When your children are at home you think they are safe. But are they? What about the internet? Have you taught them how to protect themselves online?”
To a certain extend I agree with this quote because the internet is not very safe when people do not use the internet wisely. This world is filled with sexual predators however, these predators are not just online. “Teens are also at risk in the mall, walking home from school, and spending a vacation with distant relatives.” Parents need to understand the internet is a very helpful tool that helps enhance their children’s education. There is a common misconception about who the actual sexual perpetrator is. People believe that strangers are the perpetrators of child sexual abuse when in fact family members and friends are still the most frequent perpetrators.
While I was reading, I could not help but think about the little four year old boy from my hometown of Mendota, Ca who was raped and killed by his fourteen year old neighbor. This heartbreaking tragedy took place a day before Halloween. The little boy wondered out into his home’s driveway and the teen lured the little boy into his house by telling little Alex that he had candy for him. Then he raped and killed the helpless child. The mother went looking for her child and after an hour that Alex went missing, the fourteen year old boy had already killed him. Now you might ask yourself, I did she mention this story. I mention this story because parents should be more aware of their children’s surroundings that what they do on the internet. There are bad people everywhere not just online.
On another note, women have been perceived as incompetent in the technological world.
In Wired Love, the women portrayed in these narratives were naïve and incapable in the face of technical advances, and when they made forays into the world of the telegraph they ended up needing to be rescued, to be protected from technology, in sum.
Nowadays, women can do what ever they please whenever they want and however they want. We do not need men to protect us or to rescue us from our mistakes. We learn from our mistakes and we keep moving forward in life with our head held high. There has been too much sexism in our society that now is the time to fight back and show the world what we are made of. May I remind people about the first computers. The first computers were women! Women were the quickest to pick up the technical skills that were needed. Sorry for the tone, but I think that people need to stop thinking that women always need men to help them because we are unable to succeed without help.
Claudia A.
I agree with your point. It seems that this fear, almost paranoia, is caused by a lack of reasoning and stereotyping. Computers and the Internet are simply a medium, a means of communicating and sharing information, and can only be labeled as good or bad by the way they are used. Cars can kill people, but the solution is not getting rid of cars but to teach and enforce safer driving practices. As for the stereotyping, this seems to be a reoccurring problem in our society—the oversimplification of a group of people to categorize different aspects of society. This was the same problem in Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet. It is interesting to note how concern and even good intentions can lead to strong stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteKevin Campbell
Claudia, I'm glad you remembered that "computers" were, indeed, once real human operators, many of whom were women. Clearly, as the examples of the telegraph and telephone have shown us, women are often the primary labor force set to making new technologies work for social use, as in the case of switchboard or telegraph operators. Unfortunately, the number of women involved in computer science is reportedly on the decline.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head with your post. I agree with everything you said. Parents have to be more active in making sure their children have a safe environment, which includes carefully examining their surroundings (including family and friends). I do not think that parents should have complete trust in anyone with their children and should always be vigilant making sure they're safe. Also, parents should teach their children how to protect themselves by telling them what to be aware of. I know it might be a little explaining to children, but it is necessary for their safety.
ReplyDeleteThis can be carried over to the Internet. If parents properly teach their children what to look out for, then they won't have to fear the Internet. The internet is merely a medium. Bad things can happen in the Internet, just like it can any other place. The world can be a sick place, but we have to teach children how to protect themselves.
I also agree that there is a sense of paranoia from parents toward their children on the internet. To a certain extent, i see there paranoia but only for small children who do not know about the world or what they are dealing with. Once a person reaches a certain age,I think is acceptable to let children think for themselves in how they navigate around the internet. Th parent should have instilled moral values to know what is acceptable and what is not. Therefore, if a child chooses to enter something that would be dangerous, perhaps the parent did not teach them right from wrong.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everybody's comments. But that story is so scary and sad. When people hear about stories like that they should make an effort to protect their children and/or family members. Precaution would be a big help but even then bad things can happen. If children are taught what is right and what is not, they could be saved from very dangerous situations. This all depends on the parents and their steps toward safety. If the children are taught how to use the Internet safely and they make a mistake, it’s because they didn’t take their parents seriously. Search blocks are also useful for little children. I also agree in the fact that women don’t always need men to rescue them. There have been movies made where the female role saves the male role but they aren’t that popular since society is so used to the damsel in distress plot.
ReplyDeleteThis article brings up such an obvious controversy. On one hand, there are sexual predators out there that children need to be protected from; on the other hand, the protectors (i.e. relatives and friends) are the most likely perpetrators of these crimes. It is a no-win situation, and Cramer and Cassell both seem to feel that the best solution is to let girls go online to socialize and develop technological prowess, as there is not much that can be done to prevent abuse from family and friends.
ReplyDeleteThis perspective is cynical to some extent, and though I believe that it is wrong to prevent anyone from utilizing technology to develop valuable life skills, I also feel that technology, with its imperfections, can also be dangerous - therefore overprotective parents have a point. In my paper, I learned that on the world famous, social utility tool Facebook, there is a group that is called “30 Reasons Girls Should Call it a Night” - a group that contains disgusting pornographic photos of drunk, underaged girls. The pictures are linked to the girls’ names, which can be traced to their profiles, which can expose more personal information such as age, location and even contact information. Not only does Facebook allow this group to exist, it also does not seek to inform the girls of future consequences of these photos (as in, permanent damage to their reputations and careers) or attempt to inform their parents. In addition, the group is public - anyone can join - an open invitation to sexual predators. Clearly horror stories such as this one influences parents, therefore their overprotectiveness may be justified to some degree.
It is as though there is a vicious pattern in which as each new technological development arises, there are people who abuse it and cause everyone else to suffer - in the case of this article, sexual predators abuse technology, therefore parents prevent their daughters from using it, therefore girls fall behind technologically. While girls should be allowed the same technological tools as boys, there needs to be an enforcement of a defined line between online self expression - (which could liberate girls who are in fact bullied or sexually solicited by relatives or friends) - and self exhibition (justifying parents fears of sexual predation).
I definitely agree that many people think the perils of the internet are much worse than they actually are, because so much information is available via the web and a lot of it is good and educational information. Not everyone uses it for bad purposes. In fact, the internet can be very beneficial to those that use it smartly and don't go on unsafe sites. Predators are usually acquainted with the people they prey on, and the internet is not the only place where they prey.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention I agree with your point about women being viewed as incompetent with technology nowadays. Sexism is a big problem faced in today's society and needs to be brought to attention.
ReplyDeleteAoife Parkin