Teens as Consumers

The article titled "Teen Content Creators and Consumers" describes that students, especially teen girls, are fervent participants in music downloading and sharing. They are the primary target audience for companies seeking to promote their products.

This idea makes sense...teens today are brought up in a world dominated by technology, so they would be more inclined to access music files on the internet than their adult counterparts.

This is great...but when does it become out of control? As the constant worrier (and lately I feel like a pessimist with all of these topics, but hey, someone has to be the worry-wart), I feel that perhaps students need to know the "rules" along with music sharing. The idea is wonderful...students from across the globe are able to access music files and share with each other...sounds like a playground fairy tale. My fear is that students will not know how to react and act in the world outside of the internet.

Can they also share their ideas with kids their own age or other age groups if put in a person-to-person situation? Are they socialized in a way that they can be effective contributors to society off and on the computer, or are they turning into zombies that stay huddled behind their computer monitors, waiting impatiently for the next download to finish?

I am not trying to put a damper on music sharing, or any other technology sharing. But I do want to express a concern for how students are socialized...yes, they can express themselves. But in what capacity?