A new post popped up today about youth narcissism and social media that caught my eye http://www.micheleborba.com/blog/2012/10/26/youth-narcissism-and-social-networking/ It also reminded me of this article in the NY Times that raises some interesting questions about the constant documentation of our (and our children's) lives and what impact this could have. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/why-we-should-take-fewer-pictures-of-our-children/

Both look at how our society is leaning toward being self focused and the impacts this can have on kids. I study community psychology, so I definitely see the benefits of empathy and considering the "we" in decisions and actions. But I also notice that potential positives are overlooked. Taking just one piece of this broad topic, photography, as an example: Things like bringing a voice to kids who are able to use the tools of photography or understand the world around them in a different way by being exposed to photos.

Photo voice projects have shown great benefits to participants and have been able to raise critical consciousness and influence social change. Rather than photos having a negative influence on young women, as the article suggests, one of the first Photo Voice projects showed women had greater self respect and felt more in control of their lives. As with all things, the details of the media use will matter.

Embedded Link

Rise of Youth Narcissism and the Social Networking Connection at Dr. Michele Borba’s Reality Check
Dr. Michele Borba share her secrets for discipline problems, behavior troubles, school issues and much more! Parenting advice, tips, and articles for raising happy, healthy children from conception to…

Google+: View post on Google+