This is a very common sentiment I’ve come across when considering the boom in social networking software. Kids and teens, I hear people say, should unplug from their monitors and “go outside”. It’s a natural idea to be sure. But I believe it’s a superficial response. If kids are going to unplug, where will they go?

What did youth do before they allegedly wasted hours burning out their retinas and distracting their brain cells online? If young (N. American, middleclass) users offramped themselves from their hi-speed information highway, where would they go, free and untethered? What I seem to gather is that when people suggest “going outside” they are implying that healthy children would run together in little packs around their suburban neighbourhoods and parks, interacting together IRL, jogging off the growing prevalence rates of childhood obesity and suchlike. Is this idea realistic?

I’m afraid I don’t have any theoretical background in discourse regarding public space, but you don’t need to be highly educated to recognize a general trend towards the erosion/privatization of public space. (Schools and university campuses being a great example!) In Toronto, public space is no longer a part of a social status quo, it’s become a grassroots/political concern. Acts that are not intrinsically consumerist in nature have now become defaulted to a corporate space (e.g. going for coffee). This may be acceptable to an older demographic, but younger people often do not have the income, nor the means (e.g. driver’s license) to seek alternatives. When we say “go outside” what do we really mean? Is a strip mall really better than MySpace or ytmnd? At least with an online community, users have a chance to express themselves and creatively respond to their environment!

In addition to the trend of lost public space, there has been perhaps, a resurgence in the idea of private space, which is the conclusion I draw from observing trends in home ownership, home reno, personal entertainment centers, gaming etc. It’s not just kids who aren’t going outside. How often does the average Canadian parent go out for recreational activities? To public spaces e.g. community programs, parks etc.?

If you consider the amenities available to younger people, especially those who are atomized by urban sprawl and cuts to public services, it makes a great deal of sense that they are spending so much time online. So that’s my response to the question of why they aren’t going outside. Now, the real question is what the effects of this spatial shift are.