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"Generation @" Needs Godly Values in SpaceYou're likely scratching your head at that title or you may assume that it has something to do with NASA! Actually, it has to do with the Internet and something called MySpace, not outer space. This article examines an Internet phenomenon that's growing like wildfire, along with its pros and cons.by Cecil E. MaranvilleWhen he tried to gain understanding of end-time prophecy, Daniel was told by a divine messenger that the secrets of his prophecy were sealed until the time of the end. The messenger concluded, "...many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (Daniel 12:4). We live in a time when knowledge itself rushes back and forth at a frenetic pace! I'm referring to the Internet, a communication enhancer like nothing ever known in human history. People anywhere in the world are able to communicate with each other in real time for free via chat rooms, instant message programs and "blogs." Anytime I mention that last word in a group, there are always some who screw up their faces in puzzlement. Blog is short for "Web log." Web logs or blogs take on many forms, including providing commentary on current events, such as we do at www.wnponline.org. Many news organizations and/or columnists do the same. Or a blog might be sort of a personal journal, posted on the Internet. You might think that it could not be personal if it is on the Internet, and I agree. Nonetheless, millions of young people in particular write details no less intimate than what you would expect one to put in a diary kept under lock and key away from prying eyes. And they post these blogs on Web sites that millions of people visit. More than 40 million members One of the most popular is MySpace.com, which has over 40 million members! Of course, no one person could read everyone's entries. But you can find MySpace members by name, e-mail address, by posted name (which may be different from one's actual name) or by the school the member attends. Further, you can search the MySpace database of participants by current students, alumni, year of graduation or years of attendance. You can search by male or female or both. You can search by age, as low as 16. You can search by "single, married, divorced, swingers" or "in a relationship." You can filter your search further by looking for people who are on MySpace for "dating, relationships, networking" or "friends." When I pull up the first name that pops up in a random search, the person claims to be 26 years old, although still enrolled in high school. That illustrates one of the realities of these Web sites: People lie about themselves. On his blog are pictures of those signed on to be his "friends." As I page down the list of his friends, I quickly leave the page, because the pictures his female "friends" posted of themselves show them scantily clad. And that's another reality of MySpace: Many people post immodest pictures of themselves, including total nudity. There is little monitoring or censoring of the site. Participants are supposed to be honest (yeah, sure!) about their age and not join if they are under 14. They aren't supposed to post lewd pictures, but nothing stops them from doing so. The membership agreement stipulates that members can't post "offensive material," but a browse of entries shows many laced with coarse language. Not everyone on MySpace or all of the content on MySpace is crude or coarse. But anyone visiting the site will indeed encounter this seedy element. MySpace asks you to rate yourself in various ways, to give visitors to your space an idea of what kind of person you are. Selecting a member at random, I pulled up a girl who gives her name as Chelsea and her age as 18. But, as I page down her profile, I see that she is actually 14. Here is how she rates herself on the following activities: Sex—60 percent; Romance—66 percent; Self-control—44 percent; Kissing—67 percent; Cuddling—36 percent; and Kinkiness—49 percent. The profile also asks participants to state their sexual orientation. You get the picture. There are many aspects to MySpace that a family with Christian values would find offensive. However, if a parent complains to MySpace about his or her child being a member without permission, the Web site will take the child's Web page down. The question is whether parents are aware that their children are on MySpace. Ask your teen. Ask him or her to show you his or her site. You may be surprised at its content, for children from families with high values seem to let their hair down on the Internet. They say things and show things that you wouldn't think they would. Teens seem to feel that what they post is private, seen only by those they want to see it, instead of the fact that what they post can be seen by millions. Predators' paradise You are not supposed to post your street address, your last name or your telephone number. But the "Chelsea" whose profile I pulled up gave her last name in answering one of the many questions on the membership form. Another I pulled up at random is a 20-year-old female from Fort Worth, Texas. I know her first name, the high school she attended, the college she currently attends, her height and build, that she is bisexual and sexually active—and the fact that her grandfather died recently. There are many other personal details, but I list these only to make a point: Young people post enough details that sexual predators could identify them with relative ease. San Antonio Assistant District Attorney Miguel Najera's job is prosecuting Internet predators. He says that MySpace (and other sites like it) provide "very powerful information for predators." Najera tells teens and parents that someone with a little computer know-how can actually track the computer from which a MySpace member makes his or her posts, right down to the home in which the computer is located (Deborah Knapp, "I-Team: Web Site Draws Attention of Parents, Districts," KENS 5 Eyewitness News, www.mysanantonio.com). WETM-18 in Elmira, New York, caused quite a stir in the community when it ran a piece on MySpace, showing how easily a predator could track anyone using the Web site. Viewers were angry at the station for revealing exactly how to find the identity of someone. But Lt. John Sullivan, who tracks sex offenders for the Chemung County Sheriff's Office, says that sexual predators already know this information. Further, he says that predators actually share with each other—a chilling thought. Because of this fact, many high schools block access to MySpace on the school's computers. Some private schools have also forbidden their students from using the Web site on their home computers, a move that angers most students. Psalm 12:3-4 reflects the attitude of some: "...the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, 'With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?'" We will say what we want to say! Teens see MySpace and sites like Xanga.com as simply places to "hang out," like youths from a previous generation might have hung out at the local burger joint. A lot of the content on these Web sites is just harmless chatter. But some of it is as raw as it gets. Eric Wilkinson of Seattle's King 5 News says of teen blogs, "It's a 24-7 virtual party, allowing a world of uninvited guests into your child's life" ("Teen Web Sites Not So Innocent," www.king5.com, Nov. 15, 2005). There have been sexual assaults of teens due to their Web postings, and at least one murder. NBC's Today Show on Dec. 15, 2005, featured a segment on teen Web sites; the report noted that 25 percent of teens have had sexual conversations online and that 3 percent of their parents knew about it. Wisdom warns One of the biblical proverbs personifies wisdom as a woman crying out "...in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city..." (Proverbs 1:21), meaning at the places where crowds throng. At one time, that would be in the center of town or the shopping malls. In the cyber age, it's the Internet. What does wisdom have to say to youthful Internet bloggers? "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking; but he who restrains his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). Wisdom says, watch your words. Keep good values wherever you are, especially in public. And make no mistake about it, Internet blogs are as public as anything could possibly be. Recognize the power, as well as the potential danger of words. Parents, monitor your teens' use of the Internet. We don't recommend that you shut them off from it, if they use it with good judgment. But they need your guiding hand, keeping them safe from predators. Wiredforsaftey.com is a wonderful resource for young children, teens and parents about Internet safety. One of its recommendations is that a teen have his computer in a highly trafficked part of the home, not in his bedroom out of sight. But above all, parents need to be aware of and a part of their children's Internet experience. "Generation @" symbolizes the generation that is wired to the Internet, and all of the good and the bad that it offers. We urge our readers and their families to enjoy the treasures, but to beware of the trash. WNP |
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