Ofcom research into Social Networking

Hot on the heels of last week’s Byron review comes Ofcom’s research into Social Networking.  The report notes just how quickly social networks have become part of life in the UK, especially amongst the young.  It also notes how sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace are stretching the definition of friends to include those we have only ever met online but never in person.  As is usual some of the media coverage focuses on e-safety issues, in this case young people potentially sharing too many details online which are publicly available. 

At Softease we regularly interact with young people and it is notable that the sites that are often put up as areas where they regularly publish materials, such as YouTube, often turn out to be places where they are passive receivers of content, albeit on demand.  The social networking sites appear to be where they spend most time actually publishing about themselves and their interests, and sometimes about characters they have made up! 

The coverage seems to be suggesting that it is up to the providers of social networking sites to ensure that all of their users meet the minimum age criteria and that they know how to keep their details private.  Hands up anyone who didn’t exaggerate their age when they were young!  Far from trying to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted (and what horse ever wanted to spend all of its time indoors?) surely it’s time to harness this enthusiasm and grab some of the time spent online for some focused creative learning, giving students the opportunity to create online working with their teachers, and, to build on the findings of last week’s Bryon Review, their parents! 

Honeycomb will do just this, and I’m pleased to report that it is now live on our servers, so if you’re one of the many schools which have already signed up, you will receive your login details when it is fully released any day now!