Technology & Privacy

It is crazy how quickly technology is moving and how we are moving right with it.

I think the cultural move toward social networking and constant access to the Internet brings both positive and negative effects.  There is definitely an entanglement between our personal lives and technology.  Some benefits are communicating with friends and family easier through tools such as Facebook, Skype, and phones with the Internet. 
It is also easier to share pictures and videos, inform others about events, and post anything you want.  But some drawbacks are sharing too much information and overexposing yourself in a very dangerous way.  And so, these drawbacks will give you less privacy.

One of the things that bother me the most about the Internet is when people tell the whole world what they are doing every second and where they are doing it. I seriously do not care about knowing every detail of someone’s life about what toothpaste they used to what time they went to bed for example.  If I want to know, I can ask them personally and not through a public broadcast.  In addition to it being annoying, it is also stupid and dangerous because a creepy person can read your post, go to the place you are at and … we can imagine what horrible things could happen. 

Another thing that bothers me on the Internet is when I have seen people post inappropriate pictures on the Internet, especially on Facebook.  It is ridiculous that these people need so much attention that they are willing to disrespect themselves to make other people like them.  As a result, it can be extremely detrimental to your safety, for people can take your information and pictures and use it in ways that you would not want done.

Once you put something on the Internet, it can never be erased unfortunately.  Even if you delete it from your profile, it is still out there somewhere else that others can see and use in whatever way they decide. This is a scary thing to think about.  

It is important to learn our limits to help us prevent mistakes in the future.  Since we have the complete freedom to post anything we wish, it can be easy to do something we will regret.  We must think before we act, or post in this situation.

I try to be more cautious about what I put online to protect myself because it is so easy for others to tamper with your information in a negative way. Even though I try to be careful, I still worry about my privacy.

In conclusion, it is important to be smart about what we post, and to not reveal too much information about ourselves.  Facebook is one of those tools that create such an easy environment to pour out your entire life on, with many little details.

I am also curious but also a bit scared for the next generation of people.  How will they be using the Internet, social media, and other forms of communication?  We can only imagine, never quite sure what will happen or what it will be like…but hopefully more positives than negatives.