Social networking has completely taken over society in the past few years. From Facebook to Twitter, we are constantly connected to each other in one way or another. The only really social/networking thing that I do is texting. I actually would rather text people than talk on the phone. Although it may be more impersonal, I find it to be easier and more efficient. I can talk to multiple people at once and I can also multi-task while I talk to people. I usually always have my phone on me but the times that I don’t have it right next to me, I find myself constantly checking to see if I have gotten a text from someone. I guess in some ways texting is just as addictive as being a part of a social networking site.
I think social networking is a great way to keep in contact with people that you may otherwise not be able to. Although I think sites like facebook are a great way to keep in contact with people, I think it can be harmful when people become obsessed with it or use it to do harm to others. Lately in the media, we have heard the numerous stories of cyber bullying through such sites like Facebook that have had such detrimental effects. This form of bullying is so harmful because it is with the person even with they are at home, away from the face-to-face interaction with the bully. Essentially, it is always with them no matter where they go. Cyber bullying is also out there for anyone to read. It takes bullying away from being personal to being very public with an audience.
In my first blog, I briefly talked about companies who intentionally hack into websites in order to track conversations to get information about their consumer habits. Although the internet can be a great place for people to connect with others and it can be someplace for people to feel like they have a sense of community, it also means that you have to be willing to give up a certain amount of freedom and privacy.
I guess I don’t really worry about privacy issues that much when it comes to my information since I don’t use social networking sites. I also don’t tend to share personal information over text unless it is someone that I trust and even then it is never super personal. Now that I am aware of all the ways our information can be tracked, it is constantly in the back of my mind whenever I go onto any sort of website. I keep wondering if I’m being tracked and if someone is using my searches for their benefit. But is there really anything we can do about it? I don’t know if it’s possible to have complete privacy on the internet especially now with government laws like the Patriot Act. According to laws like this, it is actually in our best interests that people aren’t able to be completely anonymous on the internet, but where do we draw the line?
