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When it comes to social networking, we're all homeschoolers
11 comments- TAGS:Education, netiquette, social networking, social networks
- IT TOPICS:E-Business & Web 2.0, Internet
I am professionally involved in social networking on a number of levels, from writing about it to consulting with companies on how to use it, and lately I've noticed a very interesting trend. Books, seminars, and even college classes on proper social networking are cropping up all over. Judging by the sheer volume of "how-to" information out there, it appears there is a large segment of the population that wants to become socially adept in this new virtual environment but doesn't know how.
Ironically, as a homeschooling mother of three boys scarcely a day goes by that I don't see a reference to how homeschooled children are at risk for becoming socially disadvantaged because they aren't in a formal school setting with their peers. Fair enough but, as parents of homeschoolers often point out, our kids have a whole buffet of social opportunities to choose from that teach them how to interact with others.
Homeschooled kids participate in organized sports, join 4H and Scout clubs, take art classes, and join in all kinds of other activities with kids. Many familes also volunteer in community service organizations and civic groups where they meet people from all walks of life and learn how to talk with everyone. Indeed, my own children are nonplussed by people who look, speak, or act differently, something I credit largely to the volunteer work they do in our community which exposes them to a wide range of people.
In other words, homeschooled children get plenty of "socialization" and typically feel very comfortable in all sorts of social settings. That, however, is not my point.
Ever since it became evident social networking isn't going away any time soon, businesses began looking for ways to use it to their advantage or, at the very least, accept its use in the workplace. Hand-in-hand with choosing which networking tools a company will employ is the need for people to understand how to use them in the first place, hence the proliferation of books and seminars on the topic.
Frankly, I think the desire to understand social networking and the etiquette behind it is terrific because no one wants to make a faux pas online any more than they do in real life. What I find fascinating, however, is that there's suddenly a sea of people who want to be taught how to be accepted socially.
I thought people learned how to socialize when they were in formal school settings? No? Evidently all those socialization skills people acquired back then left them ill-prepared to swim in a new social networking environment. I understand that online networking is a relatively new concept but it's also one people seem to have trouble adapting to. I guess using the educational system as the definitive method of "socializing" our children isn't all it's cracked up to be.
It is absolutely vital for children to be among their peers in order to learn the life skills they'll need to function as adults in the world. School, however, is not the only means of acquiring the social knowledge they need. After all, it hasn't helped the current crop of adults much, has it?
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