An interview with my son...

I intended to use my son for the interview. This was because I wanted the viewpoint of an adolescent who has not had a lot exposure to social media, but has used it on occasion, and has a friend or two that uses it.

My laptop was stolen when I began this project. As a result, I chose to use the event as a teaching moment during the interview. We homeschool and this year we tried a period of time where my son went to public school. He decided that it was not moving at the same pace as home and did not like the approach of such brief intervals on each subject, so he is back homeschooling full time.

This was also a part of the discussion. An excerpt of our interview is below.

Me: What kind of technology do you like to use?

Son: Apple and Nintendo.When I used Windows in school, I was as lost as if i was in Russia.

Me: If you had to use Windows for homework?

Son: I feel like I’d spend a month just figuring out the basic controls.

Me: Was this because we only have Mac and iPads or because the Apple interface was more intuitive?

Son: Mac was easier because first one used and because of little exposure to windows.

Me: Do you understand the purpose of social media?

Son: Familiar with Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.

Me: Why so you think people use it?

Son: To keep in touch and talk with friends over long distances. Some people are careless. I’d say 50/50 on the carelessness.

Me: Do you know I use very little social media? Why?

Son: Yes. Not enough time.

Me: Yes, but my job also requires me to be involved in security. Privacy is a big issue and people put themselves out there in peculiar ways.

Me: Why do your parents not let you use social media beyond YouTube and such?

Son: Don’t want me to be careless or do something that could affect me later. Mostly due to privacy.

Me: If you could, how would you participate in social media? Explain.

Son: Not really interested. There are few friends that are on it and therefore it would be pointless. Maybe grandparents.

Me: You know my laptop was stolen.

Son: Yes.

Me: What do you think went through my mind?

Son: Private records, passcodes, credit cards and stuff.

Me: No. Because I don’t keep that on my laptop.

Son: Wow, that’s a good thing!

Me: I changed all of my passwords anyway because you can never be too careful. I just though wow, that sucked. That’s the machine I keep my homework on and I have work due! And I just edited two chapters of my book that I had not yet backed up. I lost some personal pictures. But, I wasn’t worried because the laptop was encrypted.

Son: So they can’t get your data?

Me: Nope. Not without the key or my password.

Son: Cool.

Me: What do you like most about technology?

Son: Sometimes makes things easier and faster. Makes learning and entertainment much more fun.

In the end I think he enjoys technology and understands what social media is used for. Like me, he doesn’t seem too eager to be an overly active participant. You could certainly say that we are not prosumers in the Jenkins sense of the term. We consume much more than we produce. Perhaps that will change in the not too distant future.

In the meantime, I am grateful that our children will understand the use of social media before being thrust into that world. I am also grateful that my wife is even more about privacy and safety concerns than I am.

We make a great team. We may be restrictive, but at least my son knows why and he really understands the issues.

As for the literacies and things like critical thinking, he knows that this restricted environment has a way of making him do some research before relying on the Interwebs for the answers. He is very much a book person, but likes that he can get missing pieces from the Interwebs.