04-20-2024, 08:07 PM
It's not a defense of Tik Tok, I really am no fan.
But I think we keep focusing on the nastiness they seem to be engendering, rather than make more important and immediate efforts to educate our children differently... so they are not so easily manipulated, or radically influenced. I know that is a tall order. After all many of us are just as victimized and prone to 'embrace' that kind of social media engineering.
Our children suffer from exposure to information they are not prepared to understand... youth being what it is. But it get much worse when all the parents do is grind their teeth and complain. Our children are as we make them.
I would offer the idea that part of this is our own mistake, thinking that "on-line" is a "place" you hang out and meet "cool people" While not having a relationship that includes actually talking to your children about their world.
On the China angle, yeah... there are people in China who appear set to exploit anything and everything; it's in the underlying ideology - I think. But from their perspective, we are no different and do it both to ourselves and others too. So the hate/fear tribal reflex is right there.
We could make Tik Tok go away (so to speak) but others will take its place... until we create the kind of relationships with our kids that can provide a balance to the garbage peddlers, and social engineers. I hate to sound 'old-fashioned' but the answer is in having actual 'families,' and being part of an actual 'community.' Two things the "establishment' doesn't seem to actually protect - other than lip-service.
But I think we keep focusing on the nastiness they seem to be engendering, rather than make more important and immediate efforts to educate our children differently... so they are not so easily manipulated, or radically influenced. I know that is a tall order. After all many of us are just as victimized and prone to 'embrace' that kind of social media engineering.
Our children suffer from exposure to information they are not prepared to understand... youth being what it is. But it get much worse when all the parents do is grind their teeth and complain. Our children are as we make them.
I would offer the idea that part of this is our own mistake, thinking that "on-line" is a "place" you hang out and meet "cool people" While not having a relationship that includes actually talking to your children about their world.
On the China angle, yeah... there are people in China who appear set to exploit anything and everything; it's in the underlying ideology - I think. But from their perspective, we are no different and do it both to ourselves and others too. So the hate/fear tribal reflex is right there.
We could make Tik Tok go away (so to speak) but others will take its place... until we create the kind of relationships with our kids that can provide a balance to the garbage peddlers, and social engineers. I hate to sound 'old-fashioned' but the answer is in having actual 'families,' and being part of an actual 'community.' Two things the "establishment' doesn't seem to actually protect - other than lip-service.
