Digital Literacies and Teenagers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Digital Literacies and Teenagers - Essay Example Internet plays a major role in the lives of adults and teenagers alike and the significance of the internet in a teenager's life increases with every day. Teenagers use internet in numerous ways. Internet and digital devices serve as a main source of entertainment to the teenagers. The need for internet becomes vital as long as there is a need for getting faster and in-depth information. The progressively growing internet and computers has become mandatory for teenagers in day to day life. Educators need to keep this in mind and give them a â€Å"head-start† (Thelen par.6) in school. Digital devices are a rage among young people today. Tablets, laptops and smart phones top the teen’s wish lists. MP3 players and other digital gadgets like play stations, palm tops are also widely used by many of today’s students. Digital literacy is a must for the present day teenagers. It is the wave of the future. Today's teenagers will be tomorrow's leaders and working members o f the society. Teenagers who do not have digital literacy will find themselves far behind in the future. Activities of Teenagers on the Internet A new â€Å"Pew Internet Project† survey reveals â€Å"that 93% of teenagers 12?17 go online† (Teen and Young Adult Internet Use. par.1). The frequent activity on the internet by teenagers is the use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Estimates suggest that â€Å"73%† of teens have â€Å"profiles on social networking sites† (How are Online Issues Affecting Children? Par.7). Social networking sites are forums where information can be posted, shared and uploaded. Teens use these sites to chat with their friends all over the world. Similarly, every teenager with access to computers has an e-mail account. E-mails make communication easier. Commercial sites are used to buy things online, such as books, clothing, or music. To have a video chat conversation with other people chatting tools like Skype and Google Talk etc are used by teenagers. Internet is also used by teens to gather information about â€Å"health, dieting, physical fitness information† (Trends Data (Teens) Par.1) for homework and assignments. Teenagers use internet also to publish journals, articles and research papers. Movies, games and songs are downloaded easily using the internet. Teens also use internet to play online games and watch movies online, using YouTube. Cell phone is the other major characteristic of the present day. It is estimated that â€Å"75% of teens have cell phones† (How are Online Issues Affecting Children? Par.7). Smart phones, which have GPS tracking enable the parents to know the whereabouts of their teens. â€Å"58% of teenagers send â€Å"Instant Messages (IM) or text messages using the site† (Facts and statistics on Teens and Technology par. 3). The student’s curiosity to gather and know more information is quenched by popular search engines like Google, AskJeevs etc. Digital readers and other devices reduce the need for carrying heavy books and notebooks to schools and colleges. Data stored on a computer as reports and assignments can easily be manipulated into a number of different formats, making it easier to study. Communicating and downloading content are two primary uses of the