You're never quite aware of how many people there are like you in the world who share your thoughts, perceptions, your interests, and values until you've witnessed the revolutionary entity that is the Internet. Although I'd like to believe that the Internet has not played a significant role in who I am today, I'd have to fall back on this inaccurate predication.

As a child, my 'play days' were very eventful, to say the least. Summers were always enjoyable because most of my family lived in close proximity so it almost felt like everyday would be spent having a barbecue. We'd then invite countless guests from our church because we were extremely tight-knit with them as well. When we weren't having backyard barbecues for no reason we would travel in droves to Dorney Park and Heckscher State Park for recreation. This was home to me. This was where I knew I could be myself. I didn't have to exert much of my energy in being someone else because the family and friends surrounding me knew who I was as we were very closely linked. Needless to say, interactions were much more primal and direct with children and parents alike. It required no medium to facilitate exchanges. As a kid, I gained a sense of comfort in that and wished that it would go on perpetually. But, as we all know, change is inevitable. As years passed, I started to see that the church gatherings I thoroughly enjoyed, dwindled as many members began to depart. Much of my family proceeded to disperse along the east coast, some voyaging south to Georgia and others to Florida. The dynamic, since then, had shifted entirely.

So, where's the chase and how do I cut to it?

For me, being in middle-school, used to feel like a world literally away from home. The only way to survive in that world was to adapt. As social creatures, we all long to be accepted in whatever way we can. Because I did not have an identity that was prevalent in school, I sought to create one to give peers the impression that I was someone more than who I appeared to be. Growing up I became increasingly cognizant of the image I portrayed and wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin the same way I had felt with my family and friends prior to adolescence. Watching the PBS presentation, "Growing Up Online", I can identify with what many of the students are saying because I had gone through similar experiences that involved being bullied, feeling left out and unwanted. The change was sudden. The Internet seemed quick, easy, and readily accessible. It didn't involve any confrontation. It appeared as the perfect avenue to promote a greater sense of self. Even today, I see that the most primary use of social media is to understand who we are as individuals and constitute a figment of the person we wish to be. However, the purpose of the Internet is rather obscure as we seem to have contrasting approaches in how we personalize our worlds. Paradoxically, while personalizing it we're publicizing it. The question is, is this conducive to our sense of self or counterproductive?

It's worth noting that the Internet does have a tendency to amplify emotions which is partly due to the validity we give it. Because most social networking sites employ the use of 'likes' and 'friends', many people, most notably young teens, overcompensate for what they lack because they aren't where they would like to be numerically. This gives social media a competitive edge that may often result in more extreme cases of self-exposure which include, but are not limited to, mild nudity and suggestive images that they wouldn't post otherwise. This means more exposure to cyberbullies and sexual predators which, is still an ongoing issue. When infused with low self-esteem, it is relatively easy to resort to self-destructive antics such as mutilation and in more extreme circumstances, death as we see with John Halligan's son, Mike who, sadly, committed suicide after being called "gay". Social networking increases vulnerability. To add on, words can easily be misconstrued which may heighten confrontations that are often preventable.

Nonetheless, we can all agree that the Internet is a powerful tool that has the profound ability to sway the livelihoods of younger generations. However, to what extent must we hold ourselves accountable so that it does not adversely affect the generations ahead?