Anastasia Goodstein: Giving Voice to the Screenager

Search for the term "Totally Wired Teens" in the hope of finding some sort of guide and you come up with about 750,000 results. But there's one that you shouldn't miss. Anastasia Goodstein's new book, Totally Wired, casts an unblinking eye at the real world of online teens: good, bad, and ugly. She's a unique voice because it's clear that she's actually lived in the online trenches of Facebook, MySpace, Tagged, and others, reporting on the best and worst that are out there.

You'll meet kids who've hooked up in cyberspace (cybering) using their webcams for casual sex. You'll meet bullies who flame with their words. You'll find out why it's perfectly OK (from a teen point of view) to post provocative photos online. And you'll see this generation flex their muscles by using text messaging to boycott, protest, and voice their opinions.

Goodstein captures a world in which the impulsivity and brashness of youth meets the ferocity and speed of the Internet. What a combination. Goodstein is not a mom yet and recalls her teenage years pretty vividly. Her bottom line seems to be that being teenager hasn't changed much, but the tools sure have.

This is an author who's not afraid of research. She spoke with kids online, conducted phone interviews, and even posted a survey on Tagged.com that drew 2,000 responses. She spoke to parents who filter and block their kids and to parents who preferred to take a more laissez-faire approach. She captures the frustrations of educators as they try to teach about truth and authenticity in the muddle that is today's Internet. Statistics, research, expert opinion, and anecdotes from all of the stakeholders—that's the stuff that this book is made of.

If you've been putting off having a conversation with the teens in your life because you don't really have a clue, don't trust mainstream media to paint an accurate picture, or just want a bit of help kick-starting a discussion that uses words like SMS, webcam, and blogging, then start with Totally Wired.

Get a taste of Goodstein at her web site: Ypulse.