Parental Advisory
Editorial Board
Issue date: 10/9/09 Section: Ed-Op
Has your mom requested to be your friend on Facebook yet? Does she text you? Does she shoot you e-mails? As many before us have noted, college used to be a definitive time in a young person's life when they escaped the rule of their parents and developed a sometimes homesick, but autonomous sense of self. With all of these new mechanisms for inter-family communication, we have to wonder: How much has really changed?
It's nice to connect with family in a way that previously was not possible, but it's important for students to find themselves without advice from the family with whom they just spent the last two decades.
The major difference that social networking offers is that communication is instant. Unlike the college students of the past, we are now specimens under the microcope of our parents. All of this new technology may connect us on a much more personal and deep level, but they also reveal details about us that would have been concealed in previous years. We no longer share the same level of secrecy that our parents did. We are more honest with each other, but we have to wonder if this is always a good thing.
Our advice is to communicate in moderation. Take the time out to speak to your family, but don't let them invade all aspects of your online life. Your parents do not need to know how successful "the talk" was when they have the option to "like" your latest conquest. It's important to learn how to get through life without the help of your parents. The ability to BlackBerry Messagener your parents becomes more of a hindrance than convenience when "Mom" is next to "Molly" on that Thursday night.
Is it even appropriate to be Facebook friends with your mom? How much access should she have to photos of you and your circle of friends? As we progress through this new informational age where everyone has a smartphone and a laptop, we are wondering if the rules of online decorum must change accordingly.
For instance, if you reject a friend request from your parent more than two times, they should just take a hint. Texting before noon should be reserved for only emergencies-vibrating phones can be alarming to wake up to. And the phrase "Tweeting my mom" just shouldn't ever be uttered. It is not out of bounds, however, to recommend not taking MySpace self-portraits (with the inevitably overexposed flash) with your dog and dad. As Drexel looks to the future, its students should watch their backs; they never know when they're going to be tagged by "Mommy Smith" in the newest album upload.
It's nice to connect with family in a way that previously was not possible, but it's important for students to find themselves without advice from the family with whom they just spent the last two decades.
The major difference that social networking offers is that communication is instant. Unlike the college students of the past, we are now specimens under the microcope of our parents. All of this new technology may connect us on a much more personal and deep level, but they also reveal details about us that would have been concealed in previous years. We no longer share the same level of secrecy that our parents did. We are more honest with each other, but we have to wonder if this is always a good thing.
Our advice is to communicate in moderation. Take the time out to speak to your family, but don't let them invade all aspects of your online life. Your parents do not need to know how successful "the talk" was when they have the option to "like" your latest conquest. It's important to learn how to get through life without the help of your parents. The ability to BlackBerry Messagener your parents becomes more of a hindrance than convenience when "Mom" is next to "Molly" on that Thursday night.
Is it even appropriate to be Facebook friends with your mom? How much access should she have to photos of you and your circle of friends? As we progress through this new informational age where everyone has a smartphone and a laptop, we are wondering if the rules of online decorum must change accordingly.
For instance, if you reject a friend request from your parent more than two times, they should just take a hint. Texting before noon should be reserved for only emergencies-vibrating phones can be alarming to wake up to. And the phrase "Tweeting my mom" just shouldn't ever be uttered. It is not out of bounds, however, to recommend not taking MySpace self-portraits (with the inevitably overexposed flash) with your dog and dad. As Drexel looks to the future, its students should watch their backs; they never know when they're going to be tagged by "Mommy Smith" in the newest album upload.
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