The cyber network is entwined in each teenager's life. As social networking continues to grow, MySpace.com, one of these social sites has taken full flight. MySpace is a sort of cyber combination of a yearbook, personal diary and social club. With more than 50 million members, it's one of the fastest growing web sites in the country and shows no sign of slowing down. As it was initially started two years ago, it is now a household name receiving two and one half times more traffic then Google Inc.
Since the origin of the internet, predators have existed on-line. As any social site comes to pass, so do the dangers involved. In the recent past, individuals have been killed, harassed, and threatened due to their MySpace profile. In the MySpace world a user can set their profile to safe mode, allowing only their friends they have accept to view their profile. In several situations slanderous rumors are spread over bulletins and soon the entire school knows. The productivity is at most information on a new kid at school or new pictures of a friend, there is nothing academic about it. MySpace is in fact addicting and time consuming, distracting teens from other priorities.
On the other hand, some teens form forums to discuss current political events, books recently read, and club and sport news at school. It is like everything on the internet; it can be used in the proper manner and also be abused. Many students feel that schools blocking MySpace is an impediment on their first amendment rights and the school should not have the right to silence opinion and educational forums. Why should those who are trying to improve their understanding of current events or find out times and meeting places for clubs and sports be punished because others abuse the system? It is only fair that students have the access to resources that could potentially enhance their education. In the world today it seems as though teenagers are always under attack on everything they do even when it comes to enhancing their education.
It is clear that there are some benefits to having access to MySpace, but the negative outweighs the positive. It is clear that students abuse their privileges and use MySpace mostly for social interaction and not academic growth or stimulation. It is in fact just to block MySpace access to students at school because students can socialize at home and not be distracted in their academic setting. I know how distracting it can get and know that it starts to become a priority instead of other things that should come before socialization. If we allowed for students to just talk online through instant messengers, MySpace, etc. We would see a decline in academic performance at Bear Creek High School and computer congestion due to socialization and not academic enhancements would occur. MySpace is entertainment and enjoyable as well but an academic setting is not where MySpace should be allowed.
Jeremy Lynch is a senior at Bear Creek High School in Lakewood and lives in Denver.