Wikinomics Week Three Part Seven

I picked up a copy of Wickinomics last week to see if I could glean anything helpful about what I was learning during the 23 Things Course and I stumbled on a very interesting section about the world for today's young people.

The book said that the world that the baby boomers grew up with --riding bikes in the neighborhood until dark with packs of friends, for example -- obviously does not work in society today. Though 10-15 years ago kids transferred their social lives to malls, today kids are banned from loitering or meeting in groups unsupervised. Many teens (and young adults living at home) have to share their living space with parents and guardians without an avenue that allows them to connect with each other on their level with any sense of freedom or age appropriate interaction. There is no sense of privacy, something vital at that age group (maybe all age groups?)

Thus, according to the book, something like MySpace is the ideal connector for 2007. It allows social experimentation, peer recognition, self expression and a chance to learn what works and what doesn't work in relationships for people who have constrained physical interactions.

While I don't know that I would have labeled what I have seen on MySpace accounts in such glowing sociological and psychological terms, I found that I have changed my attitude about their purpose and results in a community setting, such as the public library.