Panel at Renton Library "Crosses the Gr8t Divide"

To the Editor:

I went to a fascinating panel discussion last night at Renton Library sponsored by Humanities Washington, the Boeing Co., and KCLS. Five panelists and a moderator gathered together for a Community Conversation about "Crossing the Gr8t Divide: New Modes of Technology and Intergenerational Communication," along with a very engaged audience. The panelists ranged from UW Bothell professor Crispin Thurlow to journalist Monica Guzman to Renton High School student Joseph V.  They talked about social media tools, like texting, Twitter, and Facebook, and different perceptions about how, when, and how often to use them.  Most were very optimistic about the potential for social media to connect people, not as a substitute for face-to-face contact, but to supplement it. Prof. Thurlow pointed out that humans have a primal need to connect to one another; before language we groomed one another and now we use texts to check in.

The audience was very diverse, including several parents who had brought their teenage daughters who described their different approaches to supervising teens' use of social media. One mother said her daughter sends 8000 - 10,000 texts a month, but at specific times throughout the day texting is banned; she and her daughter use Facebook together and she knows her daughter's Facebook password. Another mother worried about the effects on vocabulary, reading, and self-discipline, and her teen is not allowed to use her cell phone at home.

Everyone agreed, whether young or older, that privacy is a concern, especially with location-based apps and cameras everywhere, and that we all need to think about etiquette and moderation in dealing with social media.  A fascinating conversation that gave me a lot to think about!

Liz Stewart