by N. O. Tate

Created on: January 15, 2008   Last Updated: February 23, 2008

In the same manner that we pick and choose the avenues we want to explore on the internet, we pick and choose the glasses from which to view our world. By the time we have reached thirty years of age ourselves, we have been exposed to a wide array of good and bad human traits.

As adults, most of us cling to the happy moments and remain hopeful for our future. We build financial stability into our lives and surround ourselves with people we care about. But when it comes to maintaining objectivity about the world around us, we oftentimes develop opinions about everything from food to politics based on the praises or complaints we hear from co-workers, newscasts, entertainment venues and friends.

Because of this very real human tendency, few of us have taken the time to personally examine the contributions and/or dilemmas of young people today. Luckily, because I had tweens in my life a few years back and was worried about the eventualities they would face, I began exploring this subject fervently.

During the past five years, seldom has a day gone by when I haven't heard a negative remark about the bane called the internet. Its supposed negative influence on the upcoming generation is touted as the precursor to doom. In my line of work, I use the internet daily. But, I wondered. Was there any truth to the idea that young people were having a different experience than myself? How was I to find out?

Well, there's no law against an adult joining a site frequented by young people, so I did just that. I joined chat rooms to see what they were talking about. What did I find? I found goofy kids, silly kids, kids using the site to make comments they could not make in public, (because they believed this environment was more tolerant); and just as many kids who slammed inappropriate remarks because they didn't appreciate someone being gross or downright disrespectful any more than adults would have.

But I also found dialogue. Kids not only discussed the movies they had seen and the music they liked, but they spoke openly about their feelings concerning 9-11 and the war in Iraq. I learned that kids are very concerned about the environment and harbor ill-feelings toward our generation for not enforcing change, so they don't have to suffer a world that cannot repair itself. I was pleased to see how often chat line participants shared links to sites that offered real commentary concerning the subjects being aired. And I was saddened to see that many young people believe they have

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