Week 12 Clear Internet & Web

             Think and Think Again Before Clicking!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/4105726930/

With the advent of the Internet, a new and wondrous technology provided a growth in freedom never thought of by our founding fathers. Not only was the world now able to tap into any and all information from the comfort of their own home, we could now communicate with that world without ever needing to know a phone number. Heck, except in the beginning, we don't even need to own or have access to a phone.

http://www.facebook.com/baronacton

Decades later, we are only beginning to realize how powerful a tool the Internet is and potentially could become. In 1887, Lord Acton, an English historian, said "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". I feel the Internet illustrates that potential to corrupt. I say this mostly due to the widespread ignorance with which users have when using their computers. 


We are just beginning to understand that, even though we are in the privacy of our homes when "surfing", posting, or searching, we really don't have any privacy whatsoever on our computers. Social media has brought this fact to the forefront. It seems everyday there is a story about someone, somewhere, posting to a blog or Facebook something that gets them into trouble. The military and, increasingly, employers are demanding access to these sites to monitor the content for any red flags they deem harmful to their organization. The reason? People are putting things on the Internet that they normally wouldn't have said out loud in public. 


From bullying to complaining about work to inappropriate jokes, privacy online is just a fallacy. Once you click the send button, your content is immortalized somewhere in the ether. It is available to anyone, forever! And, you don't have to be a bad person either. Good folks are getting caught up in situations they never would have dreamed of prior to going online. The problem is, you usually won't know it until it is too late. Think of the Rutger's University students involved in the web cam incident that resulted in a suicide. 

http://momlot.com/images/hard-working-mom.jpg

 

Finally, I'll leave you with what I think is a good rule of thumb when putting something up on the Internet. I'll call it the "Mom Factor". Whenever my sons are on the computer, I tell them that they should only be putting content up that they would not mind their mother seeing, reading, or hearing about. This is, I think, as high a standard as you can use if your goal is to not be embarrassed or ashamed. It makes them THINK before, not after, the final mouse click. The soapbox has been put away.

Until next time, GO GATORS!