Do You Feel MySpace Is A Safe Place For Our Kids To Visit Or Hang Out?

Life is change. The smallest disturbance alters the pattern of the whole. The environment changes and man with it. If a young man meets a young lady under the right circumstances, he may be drawn to her by their common interests. This common interest toward a subject may deepen until they feel fondness and sympathy. The sympathy grows. They attach. If nothing disturbs this harmony, it will become infatuation. Love is the last stage and it can be tested by sacrifice.

Author, Lajos Egri (1888-1967) wrote this classic The Art of Dramatic Writing, a book that instructs writers on how to develop short stories, novels, screenplays and stage plays. His instructions were classic because he taught his students how to examine a play, its characters and its drama from the inside out. The quotes above come from a chapter entitled Environment. The basic premise of the chapter affirms that environment is what shapes character. The way we interact, the way we talk, the way we think and the way we feel.

In today’s postmodern society, the environment of the Internet has commanding influence in the lives of our kids. Online communities such as MySpace, Facebook and Xanga host a tremendous amount of daily traffic, particularly from youth. Years ago, interaction among children was more personal. Kids would meet at a game room in the mall, a local park, a skating rink, the movies, a youth function at church or at a local high school football game. But as Lajos Egri has duly noted, life is change. And yes, the smallest disturbance does alter the pattern of the whole. Enter the social networking craze. 

The question is Are They Safe?