Digital Nation

The Verizon Foundation is sponsoring the broadcast "Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier" on the PBS show "FRONTLINE," which will air from 9 - 10:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

The show will examine the magnitude and speed with which digital media has permeated our culture, as well as take an in-depth look at the implications.

Issues examined include the Internet's effect on education and on the military; how social media has changed the way individuals interact; Internet safety and privacy. Central to the site is a mosaic of user-generated content from visitors that became part of the documentary process.

The Digital Nation project unfolded during the past year through a series of online video reports and user-submitted stories to a special PBS Web site.

The site also features a 4-minute trailer which previews the broadcast. The Web site, broadcast and soon-to-be-released educational materials were funded by the Verizon Foundation as part of our focus on education technology and Internet safety.

The broadcast is a first for the Verizon Foundation and for "FRONTLINE," in that the foundation has never sponsored a single television broadcast, and Frontline has never had a corporate sponsor for its show.

Verizon, which has been at the forefront of making the Internet safe for children and for families, became involved when we met with the producers of "FRONTLINE" after it aired "Growing Up Online" in January 2008. That show examined how the Internet is changing the lives of children. "Digital Nation" delves deeper into the subject.