Scholarly Article

I'm choosing to talk about a journal article entitled "Internet Safety Gone Wild?" It has a professional look to it. In the upper right corner of the first page there is a journal insignia, complete with the journal's name, date, and publisher. The author of the article is named just beneath the title, and at the end of the article her credentials are listed. Brendesha M. Tynes, the author of the article, is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her classes include education psychology and African American Studies, and she is also involved in research at Harvard, which at the time of publication, included the psychological effects that cyberviolence has on adolescents. The sources for the article are likewise reputable, as they are gleaned from various Each of these credentials build up ethos, and thereby allows the journal article to be trusted in addition to scholarly.

The article begins by mentioning some of the headliners involving internet safety, such as child predators and the unfortunate cases of missing or murdered children. She insists that while these terrible things do happen, they are quite infrequent. Many adults and parents go too far in protecting their children, to the point of eliminating the internet as a form of social communication altogether. The author insists that social media plays a large, even crucial role, in the development of the children of today. She stresses the importance of their interactions with a diverse group of people and encourages parents to allow children to utilize the internet so they may adapt to modern social norms. She specifically highlights the educational and psychological benefits. In the section on educational benefits, Tynes describes an instance in a chat room where a student made a racist comment, and the following two people pointed out the lack of basis for the comment and ultimately gave the person a broadened perspective on other cultures. Even gaming and encourage skills such as multitasking. For the psychological benefits, Tynes mentions that while adolescents are creating their identity, they are constantly reflecting upon who they are, and also considering the values and actions of other people. They also develop a community around them who can support them and help them through life. In her conclusion, Tynes promotes both intentional use of the internet and safety measures at the same time. Computer filters are useful tools, but more importantly there should be open dialogue about internet usage between parents and their children. Adults should work to understand and help their children understand how to stay safe so that they can have wholesome, positive experiences on the internet.