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Unnecessary-information
unnecessary-information, unnecessarily, informed, social media, privacy
We are unnecessarily informed. -The world of social media. Please keep your privacy
to yourself, for it's none of my business.
"With the power of the whole wide world at the click of the mouse, we can forget temporarily
all the troubles we might be facing in our real lives. It's similar to day-dreaming..."
Facebook (and the like) are great when it comes to getting necessary information across the globe in the blink of an eye.
Such social media have helped find missing children and lost pets, as well as proving invaluable in other emergencies, and
they deserve our commendation. Facebook is also a good tool for business owners, just because EVERYONE and their goldfish are on it.
But when it comes to the personal level, it brings out the raw instinct in human beings.
I still remember the sensation of the Facebook explosion five or six years ago. It was the new Myspace- but with so much more
interaction between friends. "What a great concept," I thought, and I immediately launched into it. Soon enough, I found myself
connecting with many relatives across the world and with old friends from school and college- plus, I started to build- or "network"-
with people whom, under normal circumstances, I would never have met or befriended.
In order to keep the balance, there is always more than one side of things: good and bad, pro and con, benefit and loss,
take and give, for example . As people take advantage of what social media has to provide, they forget that they gradually and voluntarily
-without even being aware- give away something of their own in return: their privacy.
There are two types of privacy that we "give" to popular social Websites, such as Facebook.
The first is how your information is collected. Advertisements are tailored especially for you according to keywords that
you have typed anywhere on Facebook. This subject will be discussed very soon in Socially Yours.
When I was young I kept a diary. It had a lock on the cover so that my thoughts remained mine alone. It wasn't enough that I
locked it and kept the key close to me: I also found many wonderful hiding places between which I kept moving it so that my nosy
sister wouldn't be able to put her little hands on it. This brings us to the other kind of privacy that I'd like discuss: that
of personal privacy, involving those things we say to ourselves and aren't proper when said to others, and, therefore, should be
kept private.
Just because today's technology has brought us to a global level doesn't mean we should now be open books and reveal ourselves
to the world. Instead, we should be even more mindful when it comes to what we say on the Internet since, in extreme scenarios,
what we say can be used against usat a speed almost as fast as light. Most of the time that doesn't happen, but
it's what might occur when we reveal ourselves yet another notch. Wouldn't it be better, instead, to keep diaries like we used
to in pre-hi-tech days? We update our status daily-hourly-every few minutes, with complaints, rants, boasts about our children
and what we had for breakfast, all the way to our unhappy or happy marriages. Some users make a statement aimed at one particular
person right on their status -when, in reality, they wouldn't go up to the targeted person and deliver it to him eye-to-eye.
A few things happen with each of these updates.
ONE: Our social network has picked up pre-set keywords and has "learned" more about us, which is immediately followed by
strange-looking ads in the right-hand column like, "(a celebrity) lost 35 lbs in 6 weeks" or, "I earned $$$$ from sitting
in front of my laptop."
TWO: Our "friends" give reactions and may- or may not- "like" or respond.
THREE: Nobody cares, but being aware or not they mentally take notes.
Every time one does and says something, an impression
is made. The Internet technology somehow has helped us to develop a thick skin. He shrugs-she shrugs -we all shrug,
and we move on to other things (or someone else's status) just to find ourselves sitting in the faces of our "friends," and
they in ours, over and over again. The point being what? (This is where you search for your own answer.) We've added to
our lives an "I don't care" attitude, but this is not necessarily a good thing. It takes us away from human kindness and
understanding -the compassion which separates us from animals- and leaves us, instead, with just the animal sense of survival.
Most people reveal their personal lives on their status because they want attention, and I am no exception. With the power of
the whole wide world at the click of the mouse, we can forget temporarily all the troubles we might be facing in our real lives.
It's similar to day-dreaming, with the extra benefit that folks can "like" and offer their opinions in each situation we create.
But what kind of attention one wants to achieve is something to think about. Personally, I think we all should have a goal.
This way, we act accordingly and responsibly.
Whatever actions you take, in everything you do, come with responsibility. Be sensible, whether it's your writing status or
reading your friends', set the limits and go by them. The world is right here at your fingertips, so think about why you want
to let it be known "what's on your mind" before you type it into your status box. Embrace the possibility of the consequences
that may result from what you just presented to the global community. At the same time, when you see your friends' status be
kind and understanding, but do not be afraid to apply your rules. But do not be a hypocrite.
Social networking is an option that we happily choose. Use it well and all is happy.
You are here: Unneccessary-Information
- We are unnecessarily informed. -The world of social media. Please keep your privacy
to yourself, for it's none of my business.
Socially Yours' home: Socially Yours
- Social Network How-to. This is not a technical advice, but, more of a manner or etiquette one.
Home of La CoffeeMelodie Suite: La CoffeeMelodie Suite
- Family matters. Your one-stop hub for education and entertainment. Our goal is to create an awareness of raising
a family responsibly by way of educating through various means of entertainment.
We are an American father who has lived many years in Thailand, a Thai mother who has lived many years in the United States,
and four children- the eldest born in America- who spent the first parts of their lives in Thailand and then moved to the USA.
This multiculturalism provides a unique perspective and affords each of us the opportunity to approach things from new directions.
We follow our hearts wherever they take us. We also believe in sharing. If another is enriched then so, too, are we,
for the betterment of one is the betterment of us all. We share our ideas, thoughts, knowledge and opinions with the hope
that others will find value in them, as well as in the hope that they will pay it forward to make the world a continually better place.
