If someone had said to me 20 years ago that people all over the world were soon going to share intimate details, photos and videos about every aspect of their lives with anyone and everyone on the planet, my first reaction would have been, “Why would anyone want to do that?”
Flash forward to the present day. Not only are adults offering up personal information in epidemic volumes, but so are teens and children. Obviously, being a writer myself, I’m all for personal expression, but how much is too much information? Safety is certainly a big issue, and there is some great info out there to help parents. Check out this fabulous FBI website to help you get started.
http://www.school-clipart.com
But how else can the internet hurt you and your kids?
I watched a program a few months ago about a 20-year-old college student who filmed herself drinking, stumbling like an idiot and violently vomiting. Then she posted that video on her social networking page. The scariest part of all this is that she really did not see anything wrong with her behavior, and she thought it was fun to share her experience with the world. This poses several questions:
- How will that video affect her chances of getting into graduate school, a scholarship or getting a job?
- What makes that girl think that anyone wants to watch her puke? (I’m afraid to know this answer.)
- Why would this girl go on TV to discuss this so that millions more people can watch her make an ass of herself?
- What sort of IQ are we dealing with here? (Don’t want to know that either.)
The truth is that the first place EVERYONE goes to get information about someone else is the internet. Colleges, employers, scholarship and awards organizations, background checkers and more will all search your name when you are applying for their services. And they indeed will find you if you or anyone else has posted info about you. You can rest assured that whatever they do find will influence their opinions of you as well. They want to see the good as well as the bad – the really bad. And the bad will be used against you.
So make sure there is no bad. If there is a single person out there on the planet you would potentially be horrified to see what you have posted, don’t post it. Take it off! Search the names of the people in your family and see what is out there about them. Take action if it is inappropriate. Read your children’s social networking pages. Know who they are connecting with on the internet. Look for inappropriate photos, personal info like address, home phone or cell phone and too many personal details. Other things to look for are negative comments or opinions your child may have posted about other students or teachers - and negative comments others may have posted about them. Ask your children about this as well. Explain to them how postings can hurt them. Tell them they can be interesting without exploiting themselves or others.
Sure, the internet can be a wonderful learning tool. But don’t let others learn something about you this way that can be detrimental to your future. Even if what you post is not that terribly negative, it still can be inappropriate.
Does anybody really need to know that you just burped up the peppers you ate for dinner and have an unpleasant taste in your mouth? Too much information is too much information.