Digital Nation

The Mob

            Being connected to the internet constantly can be considered a good or bad thing, depending on how one looks at it. It can help the lonely feel less lonely, keep long distance relationships alive, it can even connect you with someone across the world, which you would have never met. On the other side to this there are many predators out there, there is the privacy and exposure issues that many people have to deal with. In today’s society everyone is online and avoiding all of the negative effects of it is impossible since the good comes with the bad. We cannot stop these people with bad intentions from logging online but we need to find a way to stop them because the effects of their actions are just as bad as another since even someone’s life is affected by it.

            Cyber bullying is one of today’s most common offenses towards others online. You can see it everywhere, especially on social networking cites such as Facebook. Sometimes the bullying is playful and isn’t taken to an extent where it can lead to one’s feelings being hurt, but some cyber bullies take it to the next level, for example. There's a lot of anger on college campuses across the country at the moment over the suicide of a Rutgers freshman. Authorities say he killed himself after a roommate and his friend secretly recorded the student having sex with a man in his dorm room and posted it on a social networking cite. An innocent child just starting his life as a college student to make something of himself ended his life due to cyber bullying done by someone who would have become friends with him, since he was his roommate. It makes you think if other like to see other suffer. Although this type of situation isn’t common heard on the news it does happen.  People ask themselves, what was this kid thinking when he posted that online but it just goes to show how much freedom people have online. The Internet is a powerful thing and not many people realize this.

 Tyler Clementi

            This idea of the mob online makes one think of an angry and aggressive nature. Laptops, Ipads, Ipods, and even phones allow people to hide in anywhere and this allows people to do and say whatever they want online for the world to see. This confidentiality that they hold allows them to do whatever they want whether it is good or bad. The Internet allows for greater speed and ease, and gives people more confidence. It sounds great, but that confidence online can be translated to weakness when dealing with face-to-face human interaction. Identity theft, cyber bullying, gambling and gaming addictions, and child predators are only a few of the issues that arise from Internet use.  These are all very serious crimes and you never know who is doing them, it may even be someone you know.

            Facebook, the most popular social networking cites, has an app which can tell people where you are by connecting with the GPS on your phone. Many people, especially young minds, might think that this is cool but when aware of what the Internet can do to you, ask yourself is this really safe? Facebook has more the 400 million users, I’m sure there are many robbers out their who will use this new app to know when people are out of their house and will rob them, or even try and track them down. Little girls and boys will become easier targets for pedophiles. You could probably track when someone's out of the house, when they're at work and on holidays travelling and find out when you might be able to rob their house. I certainly wouldn't switch it on and then leave it on without thinking about it.
(http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/burglars-pedophiles-could-exploit-facebook-gps-location-move/story-e6freooo-1225839325812)

            Interpersonal skills I believe make us our own persons and I feel as if internet gaming and cites like Second life force us to loose these things that make us human.  11 million people across our world play World of Warcraft, which is a game that is played online where you go around with other players around the world defeating challenges. This consumes many person’s lives, and even becomes an addiction. Their best friends become people online who’ve they’ve never met and makes it harder and harder for them to get out and make real friends and continue with their lives.            Second life gives people basically an alternate universe where life is better. This can mess peoples lives up because instead of fixing the real problems in their lives they are two busy concentrating on something that isn’t real and just waist away their lives.

            The world, not only America, needs to open their eyes and realize what is happening around us isn’t okay. We need to take action to stop things like what happen at Rutgers college. We need to protect our personal lives and our children. As we grow up in this Digital Nation we must, as the human race, learn how to act sensibly online. Secrecy plus connectivity should not always lead to misconduct and vindictiveness.