I recently experienced something that many people would be uncomfortable with, things about me got exposed online by another person. It wasn't anything particularly bad and there was actually no proof it was about me except for the fact that I knew it was. This made me uncomfortable for several reasons, one was I wasn't expecting to see it and it was a bit of a surprise since I didn't believe it was that person's right to share that with the world but to be honest, it wasn't something I couldn't cope with. After all, no one could actually trace it back to me. The thing that struck me harder was the things people post online without realising that it will have consequences. I am not going to write what was posted or what other people have posted on the same space because that is not up to me to tell the world but I feel the need to inform my readers and hopefully people around the world what internet does to the private.
One thing people seem to forget when they post something online, on a public page, is that even though it might be an unwritten rule about people not sharing what is posted, there is a slight risk that someone else will see this and it will get out. In my case it got to me and I decided to confront the person who had written it. This confrontation didn't end well. The person didn't like that I've read those things. My first thought when this happened was; If you don't want me to read it, why even write it online then. That means I will have access to it.
I think people seem to forget that everyone is online now-a-days. Everything we put up online is something that can be accessed by everyone. Even though you think that all the privacy settings in the world can protect you from your information to get out there is actually no guarantee that someone on your facebook won't see it, take a screenshot and post it to someone else. Because of this you need to be extremely careful with what you write online because these things can haunt you when you apply for jobs, university, start dating someone or simply just when you are expressing your opinion. I'm not trying to tell you that you can't post any of your opinions online but when you do, you have to remember that there might be consequences to it.
Those consequences might be anything from being reported to simply hurting someone. To some people, hurting someone might not be that bad but maybe if they were put in that situation they would understand the damage just a few words online can do to a person.
Another way of being exposed online that actually make me feel even more uncomfortable is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is becoming more and more common and we therefore need to be aware of how the online world is taking over our private space. In this case people post things on purpose to harm someone else. It might not be written directly to them but sometimes it's even worse than having something written about you that everyone can see because you know the person has written it so you will see it and feel bad.
One thing people seem to forget when they post something online, on a public page, is that even though it might be an unwritten rule about people not sharing what is posted, there is a slight risk that someone else will see this and it will get out. In my case it got to me and I decided to confront the person who had written it. This confrontation didn't end well. The person didn't like that I've read those things. My first thought when this happened was; If you don't want me to read it, why even write it online then. That means I will have access to it.
I think people seem to forget that everyone is online now-a-days. Everything we put up online is something that can be accessed by everyone. Even though you think that all the privacy settings in the world can protect you from your information to get out there is actually no guarantee that someone on your facebook won't see it, take a screenshot and post it to someone else. Because of this you need to be extremely careful with what you write online because these things can haunt you when you apply for jobs, university, start dating someone or simply just when you are expressing your opinion. I'm not trying to tell you that you can't post any of your opinions online but when you do, you have to remember that there might be consequences to it.
Those consequences might be anything from being reported to simply hurting someone. To some people, hurting someone might not be that bad but maybe if they were put in that situation they would understand the damage just a few words online can do to a person.
Another way of being exposed online that actually make me feel even more uncomfortable is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is becoming more and more common and we therefore need to be aware of how the online world is taking over our private space. In this case people post things on purpose to harm someone else. It might not be written directly to them but sometimes it's even worse than having something written about you that everyone can see because you know the person has written it so you will see it and feel bad.
Yes, you are probably thinking the same thing as I do, if someone puts something online they need to be able to handle the comments they get but the problem is when people post things that is unprovoked or actually has nothing to do with something you've put up. We overexpose our lives online instead of realising that some things are private and as soon as they go online they become public which can lead to things you do not want to hear or even should have to hear.
I think you all have got the point, internet is not for your private life, it's for your public. So next time you want to add that picture of you not being able to stand up at a party or tweet that rude comment about someone you know, think again, because even if you might be able to delete that from your page it will be out there in all the 1's and 0's and it will also be in the head of the people that saw it and that can cause more damage than you believe. Trust me, I've experienced it.
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