The Social Media Irony

Posted on: 04/24/14 3:20 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Millennial watching laptop(and 5 Ideas to “Socialize”
the Socially Isolated)

In a world where 4 out of 5 teenagers are social media users, you’d think young people would be growing more… social?

Sadly, no.

In fact, most research is revealing quite the opposite. The reality is, the more time a young person spends dialoguing with people through screens, the fewer close friends they have, and the more difficult it becomes for them to actually communicate with people face to face.

Let’s break that down, and then I’ll provide 5 ideas to help you “socialize” a generation who have socially isolated themselves Continue reading “The Social Media Irony”

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Keeping Social Media Safe

Posted on: 03/24/14 3:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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phone-safety-children“Should I allow my 13-year-old to use Twitter?”

It happens after every parent workshop I teach. Parents line up with specific questions.

“Is Instagram bad?

Should I let my teenager have her phone in her room at night?

“Should I be worried if I found my teenager using Omegle?”

“All my daughter’s friends are on Ask.fm and she wants to be too. Should I let her?”

(By the way, I know I’ll get comments asking, so my answers to those questions would be: no, no, yes, and no. I let my own teenage daughters have multiple social networking sites, but Omegle and Ask.fm both are venues where anonymous people can chat with little to no accountability, and that’s never a good situation. Here’s an article with more specific details about individual apps.)

The questions always vary, but they all root from the same question:

“Is social media safe?”

This is a pretty broad question. It’s like asking Continue reading “Keeping Social Media Safe”

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Young People and Selfies

Posted on: 03/12/14 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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teen-girls-selfieSmile!

“Aren’t we cute?”

Within seconds the selfie pic is posted to Instagram, and Tweeted to her 326 followers. Just another emblematic snapshot from the life of today’s teen.

Five years ago we didn’t even know the word “selfie.” Fast forward to the end of 2013 and it was declared “word of the year.”

What’s the fascination teens have with selfies? Does this desire to snap pics in everyday life make them narcissistic?

When most people hear “selfie,” they probably think of a Continue reading “Young People and Selfies”

Posted in Bullying/Cyberbullying, Entertainment Media, Internet, Jonathan's Rant, Self Image, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

American Idol’s Spiritual Advisor

Posted on: 02/24/14 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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American Idol JudgesAmerican Idol is still captivating American audiences, and this season the show has brought a new adviser backstage to act as a “life coach” for the young Idol hopefuls… a Christian counselor who has been helping NASCAR drivers since 1999.

Let’s be honest, it’s not easy to find good clean family programming on that big television screen in our living room. There’s Duck Dynasty… and there’s… uh… hmmm… hold on… give me a minute and I’m sure I’ll think of something!

My family has really liked American Idol over the years, but sadly, at times the show has brought in mentors whose actions were a little questionable– like the time Continue reading “American Idol’s Spiritual Advisor”

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The Biggest Surprise from the Super Bowl

Posted on: 02/4/14 3:15 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Bruno-Mars-Halftime-ShowBoring, depressing, a complete blowout… call it what you want, but Sunday’s Super Bowl game was the most-watched television show in U.S. history, drawing 111.5 million people on average. That’s a lot of people watching the competition between the top two teams, the greatest commercials of the year… and a 12-minute concert that literally changed the music charts.

So, what did families take away from this year’s Super Bowl television experience?

Past years’ on-screen antics have probably made some parents a little apprehensive about the content of this event that historically has brought friends and families together in one room watching one big screen together. Did this year prove to be the same?

Starting with a bad snap, the day was full of surprises, but the most unexpected element most people found was Continue reading “The Biggest Surprise from the Super Bowl”

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Searching for Sex Answers

Posted on: 01/14/14 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Don't Talk About SexGoogle has become the number one place young people go for answers to their questions about sex.

Why?

Two glaring reasons.

  1. It’s embarrassing. Who wants to ask Mom or Dad what they heard in the locker room that day, “What does ‘anal’ mean?”
  2. Mom and Dad will freak out. (Wouldn’t you if your kid asked you what ‘anal’ meant? Regrettably Continue reading “Searching for Sex Answers”

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Son of God Movie

Posted on: 12/30/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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son_of_god_movie_posterI usually try to keep up with upcoming films, but this one caught me off guard, a new film about the life of Jesus, coming to the theater this February.

The film is titled, Son of God. I saw the preview for the film when my family all went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (really fun movie- worth seeing in the theater) the afternoon of it’s release. It was an interesting set of previews before the PG Mitty, with both Son of God and Noah (coming in March). It’s intriguing to see a surge of upcoming films telling Biblical stories (including one I’m a little nervous about).

Apparently Son of God is based on the History Channel’s miniseries Continue reading “Son of God Movie”

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What Ever Happened to Shrewd and Innocent?

Posted on: 12/19/13 12:46 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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phil-robertson-suspended“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” -Matthew 10:16

This week Phil Robertson was suspended “indefinitely” after “disparaging gays as sinners” in his GQ interview.

Yes, it’s true. America has definitely evolved into a country where anyone who speaks their mind against homosexual behavior will be blacklisted. Just ask Victoria Jackson, or Blake Shelton… or Chick filA.

But let’s not be daft. We know better than this.

No, I’m not talking about changing our theology (I have clearly shared my own two cents on the gay issue), I’m talking about changing our methodology Continue reading “What Ever Happened to Shrewd and Innocent?”

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