Today's Today

One of my favorite things to do in the morning — and I can't imagine I'm the only one — is to sit down in front of the TV with a cup of coffee and watch The Today Show. If I'm running late and can't squeeze it in, my day just isn't the same.

I also have a slight (very slight) Matt Lauer obsession. I was actually in close contact with him last summer, when I lived in New York. On my last weekday in the city, I made it a point to go to the Today show which, in turn, fulfilled one of my lifelong goals. Here is a shot I snapped of him:

This morning started off like most other mornings — me turning on the TV at about 7:07 a.m. to find Meredith Vieira rambling about who knows what. She then transitioned to the story that proceeded to annoy me for the rest of the day.

The segment was called "Girls Gone Wild" or something equally cliche. Meredith et. al were referring to the apparently growing number of photos circulating online of young women drinking, mainly citing Facebook and MySpace as the means for online exhibitionism. According to the experts on Today, young people are narcissistic and fame-seeking. Ann Shoket, editor-in-chief of Seventeen, "Teen girls do not understand ... they have no sense of the future."

NBC's Peter Alexander actually suggested that parents should have their kids' passwords for MySpace and Facebook in order to monitor what they are doing online. "Trust, but verify" is how he put it. He never did provide a solution to the "problem" (which was what, again?), rather instructed parents to evaluate how their child is interacting with others online. He even went on to say that parents should aim to find out how other kids perceive their kid. And we wonder why kids are narcissistic.

Here's an idea. What about a story on all of the positive things Facebook has done? Aside from successfully creating an interactive virtual community, there are hundreds of groups dedicated to charities, many of which raise money, organize fundraisers, and increase overall awareness. Young people have unlimited opportunities to be involved nowadays, and Facebook is a great portal to do so.

Here is something else that irked me. Why is it that Today failed to question identical behavior in men? Is it because this behavior is considered acceptable for members of the opposite gender? I was surprised at how short-sighted their take was on this story. Apparently, the common journalistic principal of addressing another viewpoint was left at home, Today.

I think Today — and other skeptics — need to realize that these trends are not going anywhere, and instead find ways to accept and embrace them. Why not focus on the positives these social networks bring to young people instead of focusing solely on the alleged dangers? I think they may be surprised at how these networks really reflect the dynamic of our country's youth.

Here is the clip. Comments welcome.

Why are girls going wild online?

If I had time, I would also address thoughts on the Hugging story and Japanese dressing up as vending machines to avoid terrorists. Maybe another time.