Generation+Y+and+the+Internet

====My artifact happens to be quite popular amongst Generation Y, which is why I chose it. There are many ways to describe it, but I think the best way to think of it is as a spider web. The Internet is a network of various connections to people from all over the world. It has become a necessity for young people to keep in touch with their friends in far places as it is a very fast and efficient way to stay connected. Facebook in particular has become one of the most popular sites visited by young people. The world will never be the same as a result of the Internet.====

====There are several public health issues surrounding the Internet. Among the most popular include, but are not limited to: addiction, social isolation and cyber bullying. I honestly don't know very many people that spend less than an hour on Facebook per day. It has taken over the lives of many people and led to many other health issues as a result. Social isolation is a problem because it leads to depression, which can lead to suicide. Cyber bullying can also lead to depression as well as suicide.====

==== This is nonetheless an important issue because more and more death has become apparent as a result. Specifically, death amongst Generation Y because they are the most effected. Their culture as children was different than that of Generation X because they were surrounded by the new and upcoming technology for the majority of their lives. Thus it can be rightfully assumed that information and communication technology have a HUGE impact on Generation Y. According to McCrindle (2002), it is even true to be said that decisions are being made based on the influence of peers rather than independent decisions. An example of this is group suicide, also known as a suicide pact or Internet suicide. This is where a group of people, usually a small number, agrees to kill themselves within the same time frame. The Internet plays a role in this because random and depressed people on the Internet have found each other and given themselves a reason to take their own life. If there were no Internet to encourage the death of many young ones who have lost their lives, there could still be many innocent people still living on this Earth. There are also many adverse health effects as a result of the issue-addiction, cyber bullying and social isolation to name a few. People have become addicted to the Internet over the past ten years; I have witnessed it myself. Instead of doing their homework, Generation Y is more likely to get on a social networking site, which is most likely, either Facebook or Twitter. Less and less time is being spent studying, with more time being spent on the Internet. It is reducing productivity and taking up a lot of precious time of today’s students. There should be some kind of rehab to help people who have these addictions to the Internet. Cyber bullying is also another problem. With regards to the previously talked about suicides, cyber bullying largely plays a role when people decide to take their own lives. It is a problem that needs to be monitored by parents who let their children use the Internet. The Internet can also be a dangerous playground for the youth. According to the 2009 Children's Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities survey, 2.7 million children aged 5 to 14 years, 79% used the Internet and 3% of children who accessed the Internet were reported to have had some kind of personal safety or security problem on the Internet (or approximately 72,000 children). Also according to the household Use of Information Technology, Australia, in 2009 about 841,000 children (31%) aged 5 to 14 years had access to their own mobile phones. The fact that even children are able to access such a powerful tool is incredible. Social isolation is yet another adverse health effect. The Internet can lead to people isolating themselves from society and entering a virtual world. A common example of this is seen with video games. The male youth have become quite addicted to video games such as World of War craft or Call of Duty as they use the Internet to play against people from all over the world. The boys become locked into their own world and can often forget that there is a real world on the outside of their virtual existence. ====

==== The methodologies that are currently being used to measure the use of the Internet are mainly via statistics. Statistics are mainly just polls asking about what is occurring and in this case, it is to find out the age and amount of use of the Internet. Using statistics to measure the problem is not a very good way to know the degree to which the problem is mainly occurring. Not everybody participates in statistics and not everybody tells the truth. People could be lying about their Internet use and the problem could be even larger than it appears on the surface. ====

==== For the past ten years, researchers and theorists have embraced the Internet as a powerful tool. According to David (2006), who uses Castell’s methodology of informationalism, a new economic era has occurred as a result of this new idea of a network society. People are able to connect in way that they never have before. Communication throughout the world is now possible with the Internet. Limitations to this methodology include the fact that it only addresses part of the problem, the economic side. There are many sides to this ever-growing problem. The Internet is the most powerful tool there is to man kind and thus it will always have its unsolvable issues. ====

==== It is important to recognize that society and culture play a role in this population health issue. The groups mostly involved are Generation Y, which are those born from about the year 1982 to 2000 which specifically involves today’s high school and college students. In these days, it is normal to have a social networking site. In fact, according to Meletopoulos et al “85 percent of online consumers born in 1979 or later belong to at least one online social networking site, compared to 71 percent of Generation X online buyers and 59 percent of older generations.” Everyone wants to fit in in these times, which is why most people have a social networking site. Personal experience has shown me that without a social networking site, it is very hard to keep up with the times. It is especially hard to keep in touch with friends half way across the world without a social networking site. People from Generation X even feel the need to have social networking sites. Their reasons are for different purposes than that of Generation Y that include things such as keeping up with their very own kids. The cultural groups mostly affected by this issue, however, are Generation Y’s.====

==== Awareness of the issues surrounding the Internet is important. It should be a red flag when young teens are dying as a result of the Internet. Parents should be monitoring their children more often to take care that cyber bullying, social isolation and addiction don’t occur. Precautions can certainly be taken to avoid these issues. Parents can limit the amount of time a child spends on the Internet per day or even block certain sites, disallowing them to go into chat rooms and talk to strangers. ====

==== People are not equally affected by this problem. Not everyone has access to the Internet or better yet, not everyone has unlimited access to the Internet. Most people have access to the Internet from their mobile devices and can become even more addicted to the Internet as a result. Others who do not have as much access to the Internet are less likely to become addicted to it. ====

==== The Internet represents a global source of communication from diverse cultures. It is one of the newest ways to connect to people that are thousands of miles away, all with the click of a button. Case in point, I am a big traveller and I like to see a lot of the world. It would be too hard to travel without being able to communicate with my family every couple of days, but the Internet allows me to do just that. I am even able to Skype with my cat. Personally, the Internet is an amazing and powerful technology that can be used with self-control to connect to people from all over the world. ====

==== As a result of this assessment piece, I have come to appreciate the Internet more than I did before I conducted research on the various effects it has on people. I have had my days where I would stay on the Internet for the entire day, mostly on Facebook and not get any schoolwork done. This assessment piece made me realize that I was not alone in my addiction to the Internet, but it has also made me spend less time on it. I have realized that it is a powerful tool and can be used rather effectively so long as it was not abused. My future learning and thinking process has been affected because I now have a balance between my use of the Internet and the real world. I am able to use the Internet to communicate with friends as needed without abusing it by spending all my time on it. ====

==== Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2008-09. (2009, December 16). //Australian Bureau of Statistics//. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from ====