Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation

by Larry D. Rosen Ph.D.

Overview

Young people spend hours online each day, and their abilities to multitask and communicate are often misunderstood by older generations. Dr. Larry Rosen offers a full overview of the various issues young people may experience in their online worlds (cyberbullying, addiction, sexuality, virtual friendships, and more) while at the same time challenging commonly held beliefs that these communities are damaging. Instead of using scare tactics, Me, MySpace, and I shows parents how to be proactive and anticipate potential problems. With his extensive background in both child development and the impact of technology, Dr. Rosen uses down-to-earth explanations of sound psychological theory, incorporates groundbreaking research, and shows parents and educators how social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook can improve adolescent socialization skills.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230600034
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/26/2007
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Larry D. Rosen is a professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills and is the co-author of Technostress. He is an international expert on the psychology of technology, writes for The National Psychologist, and has been featured in USA Today, Newsweek, on Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

Table of Contents

Living in a Virtual World * The MySpace Generation * Real People in Virtual Relationships * Me, MySpace, and I * Virtually Exposed * Sex and the Media * Just a Few More Minutes, Mom * MySpace and Your Family * Hate Mail * Proactive Parenting: Teaching Your Children to Look Both Ways in Cyberspace

Editorial Reviews

A must-read book for parents…Guided by extensive research, and presented in easy-to-read language and real-life examples, Dr. Rosen's book will enlighten parents…It helps bridge the generation divide between parents and their technologically literate kids.” —Scott Plunkett, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, California State University Northridge

“Dr. Rosen brings insights, humor, and a balanced approach to how parents can understand and deal with this particularly challenging phenomenon.” —Kerby T. Alvy, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, Center for the Improvement of Child Caring

“Dr. Larry Rosen goes beyond the sensational headlines by providing original research on how young people are actually using Myspace. Me, Myspace, and I provides parents with a much needed voice in the debate over the role of social networking in the lives of today's totally wired teens.” —Anastasia Goodstein, author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online

“A timely and comprehensive look at the virtual world. Provides concrete answers to parents' pressing questions about social networking and how children live online. Written by one of the top authorities on the impact of technology, Me, Myspace, and I is a must read for all parents.” —Dr. Kimberly Young, author of Caught in the Net and Tangled in the Web

“Let's face it. We parents need all the help we can get to ensure that we can remain involved in our children's lives—especially their online lives. The better informed we are, the better we can do our jobs in protecting our children and making sure they have the skills and values to make good choices online. Larry Rosen brings his expertise as both a research psychologist and father together in this new book, Me, Myspace, and I. He provides great insight and excellent guidance.” —Nancy E. Willard, author of Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Make Safe and Responsible Choices Online

“Great Resource for parenting the Net Generation” —Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine

From the Publisher

Dr. Larry Rosen goes beyond the sensational headlines by providing original research on how young people are actually using MySpace. Me, MySpace, and I provides parents with a much needed voice in the debate over the role of social networking in the lives of today's totally wired teens.

author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Anastasia Goodstein

Call them Millennials, Gen Yers, or MySpacers-but pay attention! Millennials (those born after 1979) are different from their predecessors; not only do they use their time differently, but they seek to create content, are bored if not multitasking, are far from private, and are always online. Rosen (psychology, California State Univ.; coauthor, TechnoStress: Coping with Technology @ Work @ Home @ Play) offers a well-documented comparison between and among baby boomers (b. 1946-64), Gen Xers (b. 1965-79), and Millennials-their values, career goals, loyalties, workplace styles, and more. When not on social-networking sites like MySpace or Facebook, Millennials are IM'ing, conducting research online, visiting the virtual world Second Life, or playing video games-sometimes all at the same time. Interestingly, Millennials also value their parents' opinions and are career- and college-focused, emotionally open, and very social. Rosen advises parents to be proactive and to learn how to avoid problems before they start-e.g., by placing the family computer in a common area of the home, setting limits, using MySpace themselves, and talking with and listening to their kids even more. Highly recommended.
—Linda Beck

Library Journal