Who does one not have a facebook or tuenti account? Who does one not speak with friends every day trough these social networks? They are useful because we can communicate with anybody in real time but it gets problematic when we mix teenagers with these social networks. During this difficult period when boys and girls want to be adults (like Hayley Stark said) and when they feel that nobody “understands them”, mixed with the power to create their own worlds leads to appreciate any contact in these social networks because they make them feel special.
That is what happened in the film. Due to the increasing popularity of the internet in my high school, there are being offered some classes for parents about how to use social networks. One of the mothers talked to me and expressed her concern about how easy it was to impersonate her daughter and that the rest of her friends really thought it was her.
However, I would like to point out a great paragraph which says that the young people are sometimes much more intelligent than adults think: “Of course with this (communication through a screen) comes the danger of predators and criminals, which are real, but Natives (who are born in the Digital century) are not let this spoilt their party. […] they have begun to create and evolve online reputation systems to keep themselves, and their friends safe in the digital world.” (Marc Prensky).
So, should we let our children keep living in their "Internet world" and trust them? Maybe if they are clever enough, they are able to distinguish between danger and fun. Maybe this would be easier with a correct education.
And this leads me to think about one question which my teacher asked me some years ago. He asked us what could be the best tool to avoid sexism, mistreatment and rape (and in this way how to avoid educating people as Jeff or create a safer world)? As I said before, the education, but not the education in classrooms, but in houses where we are influenced the most.
For that reason I want to conclude with an article I read some weeks ago: Afghan woman jailed for being raped aims to change law. Are we the guilty of being raped? Perhaps in such a funny world scores of girls would take the law into her hands and would gain revenge as Hayley did.
But, I still think we do not have the power to decide who deserves to live and who deserves to die, and if someone wants to be transported to another world, I recommend reading a book, playing a video game or watching a film, not trying to be an adult before it is time.
