Internet is a tool for communication, not privacy
By: Julianna Backer
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Opinion
A girl kills herself after a boyfriend shows everyone the naked pictures of herself she texted to him. A teenage boy is given a harsher prison sentence for DWI after he posts pictures of himself in prison clothes drinking at a party on Myspace. Two teenage girls are arrested for taking pictures of their own breasts and putting them on the Internet.
Our generation is the first to struggle with the kinds of problems so much technology presents us. Almost instantly, we can send anyone anywhere a picture of anything. Instead of showing photos at a gathering of friends, we put them up on Facebook. Instead of asking a girl out on a date, boys just text her. And instead of calling a girl a name to a group of friends, we call her a series of nasty names all online.
Many of us know better than to smear our personal lives all over the Internet. Some of us try to avoid technology all together, while others limit the amount out there or show it only to friends. Unfortunately, as the girl whose boyfriend showed her nude pictures to everyone proved, our friends aren't always the people we can trust. The best friend you thought you knew may suddenly find it funny to e-mail pictures of using weed to the police.
Is the best solution for technology simply not to use it? But there's something gratifying about being able to tell the world how you're feeling or what you did last night a la Facebook or Twitter and receive actual human responses. We all crave attention. And that's not a bad thing. Normally when we talk about attention-seeking behavior, we make it sound as though people should ignore their desires for attention, for friendship, for human contact. But what can be more important to a society, what can be a firmer building block, than our instinctual need for one another?
Many people complain about how technology is separating us, that we don't talk face-to-face but only computer-to-computer. That, frankly, is ridiculous. I have friends in Australia, in New Mexico, in scattered states and in countries around the world who I would never have met if the Internet didn't exist. Even closer to home, I can send my parent's copies of my articles for the paper via e-mail or read a text from my roommate about how badly her day has gone.
Our generation is the first to struggle with the kinds of problems so much technology presents us. Almost instantly, we can send anyone anywhere a picture of anything. Instead of showing photos at a gathering of friends, we put them up on Facebook. Instead of asking a girl out on a date, boys just text her. And instead of calling a girl a name to a group of friends, we call her a series of nasty names all online.
Many of us know better than to smear our personal lives all over the Internet. Some of us try to avoid technology all together, while others limit the amount out there or show it only to friends. Unfortunately, as the girl whose boyfriend showed her nude pictures to everyone proved, our friends aren't always the people we can trust. The best friend you thought you knew may suddenly find it funny to e-mail pictures of using weed to the police.
Is the best solution for technology simply not to use it? But there's something gratifying about being able to tell the world how you're feeling or what you did last night a la Facebook or Twitter and receive actual human responses. We all crave attention. And that's not a bad thing. Normally when we talk about attention-seeking behavior, we make it sound as though people should ignore their desires for attention, for friendship, for human contact. But what can be more important to a society, what can be a firmer building block, than our instinctual need for one another?
Many people complain about how technology is separating us, that we don't talk face-to-face but only computer-to-computer. That, frankly, is ridiculous. I have friends in Australia, in New Mexico, in scattered states and in countries around the world who I would never have met if the Internet didn't exist. Even closer to home, I can send my parent's copies of my articles for the paper via e-mail or read a text from my roommate about how badly her day has gone.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jesse
posted 4/02/09 @ 9:52 AM CST
Michael Phelps FTW.
Post a Comment