dmlcentral.net
Is Facebook Destroying the American College Experience?
Sitting with a group of graduating high school seniors last summer, the conversation turned to college roommates. Although headed off to different schools, they had a similar experience of learning their roommate assignment and immediately turning to Facebook to investigate that person. Some had already begun developing deep, mediated friendships while others had already asked for roommate transfers. Beyond roommates, all had used Facebook to find other newly minted freshman, building relationships long before they set foot on campus.… more
Three Conversations for Parents: Navigating Networked Publics
Parenting is hard. Many parents find parenting in an era of social media to be confusing, in part because they must advise their children to make sense of spaces that they don't understand themselves. It's easy to be afraid of what's new, but by focusing on technology, parents often lose track of the underlying social issues that their children are trying to navigate.… more
Reflecting on Dharun Ravi's Conviction
On Friday, Dharun Ravi -- the Rutgers student whose roommate Tyler Clementi killed himself in a case narrated through the lens of cyberbullying -- was found guilty of privacy invasion, tampering with evidence, and bias intimidation (a hate crime). When John Palfrey and I wrote about this case three weeks ago, I was really hopeful that the court proceedings would give clarity and relieve my uncertainty. Instead, I am left more conflicted and deeply saddened.… more