Blog #10: FINAL
Online Presence:
I have way larger of an online footprint than I expected. You don't really think about it until you take a moment to read about the internet and what it's like to be completely unplugged. And unplugged is not a term that could be used to describe my online presence. I'm taught in school about the dangers of the internet and its permanence, but that never stopped me. As long as I tell myself my accounts are private so only people I can trust can see them, that must be true right? I was wrong. And to be honest, after this blog I will continue to pretend that is true to make myself feel better.
Have you ever tried to google your name just for fun and expect nothing to come up? Well, I have and I didn't expect to see my name so often. Thankfully it's nothing bad, but I was still shocked to see many pictures of myself pop up. As I was scrolling through the images, low and behold I found some pictures from my private Instagram account pop up. I still don't know exactly how that happened. Maybe I wasn't private for a day. And boy did that one day make a difference. As cautious as I tell myself I am, I know that I can be more careful. I don't have too many social media accounts and the ones that I have I wouldn't say that I'm as active on them as the average teenager. And by active, I am referring to posting content. As far as scrolling through the content I am hooked. Even by just looking, I am still creating an online footprint for myself. It isn't a coincidence that I like all the content brought up onto my feed. These social media apps track my usage and give me content based on the pictures and videos that I like and favorite. The app isn't just made perfectly for you, they have an algorithm that keeps you entertained and their app popular and in use. This isn't going to stop me from using these apps because it's my main source of entertainment right now, but it keeps me on my toes to be aware of the sites that I visit and the creators that I chose to follow and support.
Technology can be seen as having a love-hate relationship. We love its comedic and social values but it can also have a negative impact on one's mental health. Sometimes we forgot that everybody has feelings when we are hidden behind domain names on a computer screen. We say things online that we wouldn't dare say to somebody's face and that causes a problem in society. Something that was made for positive distant connections has turned into a toxic and dangerous environment for both children and adults. This sometimes is a fact that we look right past because as we all know "ignorance is bliss". But is it really when ignorance leaves a negative impact on the lives of others? Yea the internet is great to meet new people and make money, but at what cost?
Overall I believe that have an online footprint has its negatives, but I don't think it's a reason to stay away from social media altogether. As long as you are cautious and aware of your actions, it is simple to stay out of trouble. It does, in turn, take up an unhealthy amount of our day staring at a screen but I believe this is something that our society has come to terms with. Especially due to today's climate where the majority of our classes are to be done online. It's hard to fight the negatives of staring at a screen all day for social reasons when that's the newfound way of getting an education.
Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90315706/kids-parents-social-media-sharing
https://www.fastcompany.com/section/the-privacy-divide
https://www.theatlantic.com/search/?q=facebook
https://youtu.be/2-5aK0H05jk
https://youtu.be/5DU1B_XkyIk
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