In this article, we will talk about the Kate Eichorn article submitted in the MIT technological review. The title of the article is “Why an Internet that forgets is especially bad for young people”.
Kate Eichhorn presented her research on youth and media practices. She summarizes how social media affect the young generation. She also mentioned some of the related stories that how some younger lose their jobs because of the wrong use of social media.
Below we will spotlight all the important points of her report obsessiveeichhorn mit technologyreview. Read the below article to get the complete knowledge of it.
The Everlasting Digital Shadow: How the Internet Alters the Fate of Youthful Mistakes
In the past, young people could generally assume that their embarrassing actions would eventually be forgotten. Whether it was a regrettable haircut or an incident of getting drunk and being sick at a party, the chances of those moments being captured in a photograph and widely shared for a long time were low in the pre-digital era. The same applied to foolish or offensive comments made by individuals. When transitioning to college, it was unlikely that embarrassing moments from high school would resurface and cause ongoing embarrassment.
Today, people grow up with their childhood and teenage years being subject to scrutiny even as they enter adulthood. The mistakes and actions from their past stick around longer, and this doesn’t just affect individuals. It also poses a risk to the potential for social change and transformation.
How Teens Dominate the Online World
The New York Times report from 2015 revealed a staggering statistic: each year, over a trillion photos are captured by people worldwide. This astonishing figure highlights the immense popularity and ubiquity of photography in our digital age. Furthermore, the report emphasized the significant role that teenagers play in this phenomenon, suggesting that they contribute to a substantial portion of the overall number of photos taken.
Social media platforms have played a pivotal role in encouraging teenagers to engage in photography. Platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok provide spaces for teenagers to share their photos and connect with others through visual content. The desire to curate an online presence and gain social validation may contribute to the inclination of teenagers to capture and share a large number of photos.
Considering the rapid advancement of technology, it is likely that the number of photos taken annually has continued to increase since the 2015 report. With the proliferation of advanced smartphone cameras, the rise of social media usage, and the continuous growth of visual culture, it is reasonable to expect that teenagers’ involvement in photography remains significant and influential.
The High Stakes: Consequences for Tweens and Teens in a Digital World
There are some fact-based stories Kate Eichorn mentioned in her report that how the internet is high stakes for teenagers and young generations.
Take, for instance, the case of a young individual identified as @NaomiH on Twitter. In August 2018, filled with enthusiasm upon receiving the news of securing a highly sought-after internship at NASA, Naomi took to the internet and posted a tweet exclaiming, “EVERYONE SHUT THE F— UP. I GOT ACCEPTED FOR A NASA INTERNSHIP”. Unfortunately, one of Naomi’s friends retweeted her post with the NASA hashtag, catching the attention of a former NASA engineer who criticized Naomi for her use of inappropriate language. As a result, NASA ultimately rescinded her internship offer.
One another similar story of @Cella who got the job in 2015 at Jets Pizza in Mansfield Texas. In the joy of getting the job she tweeted “Ew I start this [expletive] job tomorrow”. When this tweet pass from the eye of the restaurant owner he replied “No you don’t start that job today! I just fired you! Good luck with your no money, no job life!”.
Final words
In the conclusion of obsessiveeichhorn mit technologyreview, it is cleare that the internet and social media have a profound effect on the lives of individuals, especially teenagers. Kate Eichhorn’s article talks about how the internet can be really bad for young people because it doesn’t forget things easily. In the past, if you did something embarrassing as a teenager, people would usually forget about it over time. But now, with social media and the internet, those embarrassing moments can stick around forever. This can have a negative impact on young people’s lives and make it harder for them to change and grow.
