My Space: Incredible Resource or Necessary Evil?

I work as a youth development professional representing the 4-H program. During a recent meeting, the topic of creating My Space, or other social networking community sites, for 4-H clubs and groups came up. The debate on whether or not these sites were appropriate as a means of communicating information and marketing programs was heated to say the least. Some advocated that My Space is a wonderful tool for connecting with kids and should absolutely be utilized as a resource. Others were appalled by the idea, claiming that social networking sites are a breeding ground for sexual offenders and other such creeps. So is it appropriate for youth organizations, schools, and even church youth groups to open My Space accounts as a means of marketing and promoting programs and connecting with kids? In my opinion, of course!

A comment that arose during the meeting likened My Space to sex education. If we advocate abstinence, but give children condoms "just in case," we are killing our stance before we've even really given it a try. If we warn of the potential dangers of social networking accounts, but then open a site just for our youth organization, what message does this send to kids? What has to be understood in regards to this argument is that there is nothing inherently wrong with social networking communities. While they can certainly be used inappropriately, and no doubt many teens and children do use them inappropriately, the idea of these sites alone is not a necessary evil. When discussing sex, for instance, we do all we can to promote abstinence. Some programs do offer safe sex education as well, but abstinence is still the primary goal. But do we try and prevent kids from using My Space in the first place? Probably not. So since we aren't doing something to prevent kids from using My Space, then why not use it as a tool to our (and the kids') benefit?