Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Word Count: 620

How much of what you post online is really safe? And how many of your Facebook friends, are actually friends that you know and trust?


These are very real, very important questions you might want to start asking yourself. As a teenager I didn't fully understand the issues of 'internet safety...' I mean, that was so uncool, right? but what we choose to share online can have very serious real world consequences. I don't mean losing a date because someone saw an embarrassing photo of you on that one night you drank to much, or even losing your job because of said photo--I'm talking about being stalked, robbed, kidnapped or worse...I know. I know. You think I'm being overly dramatic but that is the unfortunate reality of the situation. Online, people tend to have a false sense of security, they might say or do things they wouldn't normally say or do in person On the other hand we might find our actions online completely mundane, what's the harm in posting a controversial opinion or two. Why not share a photo of your kid, or your niece/nephew on the first day of kindergarten? Well, for starters, that controversial opinion could get you fired, banned from certain places, or in some cases, even arrested and that photograph you posted could end up in the hands of any number of unsavory characters. Lets not forget that posting too much online could also lead to identity theft, blackmail, or fraud. Don't want to take my word for it? Check this link out!


Many of us are over sharing, or posting photos in the wrong groups, without thinking of the consequences. We forget that practically anyone, and everyone in the world has access to the Internet. So think before you post, take the time to check your privacy settings and never post someone's photo (or a photo of their child) without their permission.

Last but not least, I'm begging all of the parents out there to check their children's phones! So many applications will automatically track their location and practically anyone can view this information! Personally, I never add anyone on Facebook who I don't know, and all of my profile and photographs are set to private. I only tag people in my photos if I know that their Facebook is equally private because don't forget that once you tag someone, their friends can see the photo too. I also don't post specifics about my location, like my address, or phone number, if I'm going out of town, or what valuables I may or may not have in the home. For even the most basic hackers your private Facebook can become an open book, so don't post anything so sensitive you wouldn't want the general public to know it.

To end things on a less serious note, this week in our Communicating Online class at Oregon State University we discussed the issues of how disclosure differs online. When we are speaking with someone face-to-face we can better understand their meaning through tone of voice, and other important non-verbal gestures. When communicating solely through text, we sometimes have to guess at the others meaning without these additional clues. This can lead to instances of miscommunication...and one such funny instance of miscommunication was demonstrated by Key & Peele in this Comedy Central YouTube clip that I'd like to share with you all below. I'd say this clip is somewhere between PG13 and Rated R for adult language and content, but overall, its still pretty funny: Key & Peele - Text Message Confusion - Uncensored

Alright, that's all for now, have a great day!
Pia

2 comments:

  1. Hey Pia,
    On your subject on oversharing content such as photos that can fall into the wrong hands, or used against you in terms of employment or actual law, I believe that stems from the sheer convenience of things. For example, I had recently attended a wedding of a friend, in which the bride and groom had listed a hashtag subject. They requested that people take their own pictures from their phones and post them on Instagram, with the requested hashtag. This proved to be a very convenient as well as interesting way to capture parts of their wedding from several points of view.
    However, touching on the same subject, the hashtag album can also prove very dangerous as well. I know a personal friend who uses a hashtag on all of her family pictures. We have even joked around that if anyone needed to find any information about her, all they would need to do was search the hashtag. However, it is indeed a very serious situation as she now has a child that is included in her photos. Sure, it is much easier to keep track of all your memories, but at what risk?

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  2. Thanks for your response Dennis, I got back to you on Canvas :] Definitely something to think about.

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