Nathan W. Fisk: Framing Internet Safety: The Governance of Youth Online 2016

It can be safely said that nearly every sane person on Earth suffers from some degree of xenophobia or the fear of the unknown. From a purely evolutionary standpoint, wariness of people or situations you are not familiar with is an adaptive trait. For example, experiencing a healthy amount of anxiety around new things can save an individual’s life and allow them to successfully reproduce. The impact of this idea on society can be observed in the popular mantra that “curiosity kills the cat.” Yet, there also exists a pervasive belief in society that this instinctual reaction is something that people must learn to overcome. For example, successful investors among others understand that there can be little reward in the absence of risk. The ubiquitous nature of these two polar belief systems in society highlights the need for people to exhibit a healthy balance of fear and both of the principles surrounding it in their lives. Put simply, if a person never overlooks fear to act on their curiosity or take a risk, then their lives will not be fruitful. On the other hand, if a person ignores their fears too much, they could face severe harm. The issue of these two contradicting principles, that xenophobia should both be welcomed and avoided, existing and interacting together in society is discussed in Nathan Fisk’s eight-chapter book, Framing Internet Safety: The Governance of Youth Online. Specifically, he examines the fear parents have of information technologies especially in the hands of their children. Fisk states that, though grounded with sound intentions, the xenophobic trepidation parents have of the internet has collapsed into mania. He claims that the development of youth internet safety is an effort by society to isolate children from adults in order to make it easier for society to govern its youth. He argues that youth internet safety is a tool used by society under the guise of protecting children from real threats for the means of surveilling and controlling youth in order to mold children into societally approved cybercitizens. He contends that current youth internet safety curricula fails to protect children from online threats, and he claims that communication with today’s youth will help do so. Fisk successfully supports his arguments and claims, yet the solution he offers about the makeup of effective youth internet safety programs may not be entirely convincing. …