In a world dominated by the internet and the ever-increasing rise of technology, we are at our most vulnerable ever as a species. The ability to now share our most intimate details with almost anyone in the world begs the question: do you actually want everyone in the world to know that you're going to Tom's house on Saturday? What if you gave slightly more detail than that and some 67 year old man was bored and wanted something to do on the weekend? With the details you've given would he be able to find Tom's house too? Do you want a total stranger to join in?
What about that 17 year old girl you met on Bebo who you've now got on your MSN contacts? You guys are really good friends and chances are you're going to want to meet up soon? She even lives in the same city as you. How do you know she's really the person she says she is? Well, you don't do you? The answer is most likely no. The threat I'm talking about is real. People actually go missing and much, much worse, all because they put slightly too many personal details on the internet.
Is it self-love or the need to seek attention that drives people to do this? Is it simply a desire to connect with more people and expand one's knowledge of the world? The world is moving faster and faster towards the idea of a 'global village': a world where everyone is linked to everyone and all borders simply fade away. Doesn't this idea go against the very fundamentals of humanity? Once everyone is linked and can access everything at the touch of a button, is there even a need to live anymore? What further progress can we make from then on? The old system worked just fine in case you forgot so I don't see how we are actually making progress.
You probably think I'm going off on a tangent, but actually it all links up. You see as we become more connected, we also slowly lose our sense of individuality, originality and privacy that we once took for granted. We simply become another robot, connected to the system. In a desperate attempt to regain ourselves we publish what little we have on the internet to try and set us apart. This may not be the case for everyone, but for so many it is and it will only get worse as we march forward in the name of progress.
The majority of teenagers will say that they simply put their details up for their friends, but surely if someone is your friend they would already know most of those things about you? The truth is that whether you like it or not, you're actually doing it in case someone you don't know comes across your page and becomes your friend due to what you've written about yourself. Why else would you write about what type of person you are or what you're looking for in a boyfriend?
Now don't go overboard and delete every web page that mentions anything about you, but just be more careful in future when you choose what to publish online. If you can, simply remain anonymous. I mean do you even know who I am? Some people do know, but unless you do, what more do you know other than the fact that my nickname is Jono and that I just turned seventeen? Not much. And let's keep it that way.
1 comments:
I like reading your work... you have some very interesting thoughts and comments to make. Ensure you keep this up.
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