On one side, i think that if someone puts personal or private information on their social networking profiles and their parent/employer/teachers ect finds it...too bad. you cant blame anyone for being smart enough to use the internet as a tool for personal gain.
The other side of me wonders:
-What is the future of social networking if parents/employers/teachers ect use it for negative reasons (ie- judgement, moral superiority, bitching, blackmail)?
-How should this issue be combatted?
- SHOULD the issue be combatted or should it be left up to an individual wether or not to post certain information (ie- its your own problem)?
- How are teens/young adults going to react to their elders monitoring their every move? What is that going to do to the idea of trust?
-If one filters their life or personality because of fear of consequences regarding what others will say/do in reaction to certain truths/events/ideas then what IS the point of social media? (because it will be one big facade, if it isnt already)
-Does the above stated question mean that we are truly becoming a society that believes that social media=an individual? Let me clarify: We all consciously or subconsciously create screen identities. We have the ability to make ourselves appear any way we want to be perceived by others. This is old news and can be dated back to the "gender as performance" theories that i studied years ago. Ok, so my point is, when did we start to think that a facebook account IS who you are? When did we become unable to separate ourselves from virtual and irl? Further, why do we do it and then deny that we do it, and even sometimes criticize others (gamers and SNS junkies, specifically) that embrace it?
Id like to talk for a second about employers using SNS to check up on applicants and employees. I know quite a few folks who filter and untag photos of themselves in social situations that might not be permitable or looked down upon by their employers. My thinking is that SNS are just that---social.
I digress in an effort to clarify more-
The majority of my Facebook photos are of me drinking. IRL, i drink alcohol once a month or less. However, judging by my tagged photos on my virtual space, it seems that drinking is all i do. I dont post photos of myself organizing my finances, cleaning my house, training my dog or cooking dinner. Why? Because i only tend to carry my camera around to document social situations. Balancing my checkbook, grocery shopping and cleaning are not social events. Thus, are not documented. In my mind it makes perfect sense that folks would have images of themselves in less than desirable scenes that grandma or boss man wouldnt like. I think that the important thing to remember is the fact that SNS isnt ALLLLLLL a person is. Its only part. Other events and activities seem to go unconsidered (ie- the "responsible" or "adult" activities).
I also wonder if SNS in Europe have the same issues. Here in America, we tend to be overly concerned and conservative with issues regarding sex and alcohol (ie- the things that most kids do). What would happen if we were more honest with ourselves and our kids instead of pretending it doesnt go on, denying our children proper education when it comes to those things and sitting in front of a screen in a state of shock when they experiment? Is stalking, and flipping out the way to handle our sons/daughters decisions and actions when they enter college? I am a fan of honesty and education in an open non judgmental environment, not denial and panic in a hostile "blind eye" home.
What does this mean?
No comments:
Post a Comment