Unaware of Internet Awareness

Have you seen the photo where a responsible mom or teacher takes a photo requesting people to share so they can teach children that the internet is a wild and dangerous place? Of course you have. About once a week I think. Such a powerful message.

Everyone knows that once a photo hits the internet it becomes this viral monster that is directed to every pervert and otherwise inappropriate person imaginable. Photos are laced with every possible trace of information giving coordinates, birth certificate, blood type, and a list of your fears. In fact, if you have GPS turned on for the Android, it might just post a dating profile on Craig’s list without your permission. Are you paranoid yet? Ok good.

This is a creepy photo. Ii don't like thinking about faceless bubble people poking around my internet.

This is a creepy photo. I don’t like thinking about faceless bubble people poking around my internet.

What can we do about this crazy and ever present danger?

I think the answer may lie within blogging itself. Anyone who has a blog on WordPress or Blogger or even Facebook knows that the idea of some photo or post circling the globe just because you hit POST, is a complete falsehood. At best it is a pipe dream. Bloggers constantly network to peddle their goods. Like me and I like back. Follow this and follow that. Show me yours and I’ll show you mine. I think most of the time it is like selling hymnals at choir practice but I do enjoy the company. There are some really interesting people and talented writers floating around out here but parts of the internet world make me scratch my head.

Some of the most popular posts are instructional posts on how to get more people to read your posts. Maybe we don’t need to be teaching children that simple photos go viral. Maybe that creates unrealistic expectations for actually having an audience in the real world. Also, to tell a teenager at the peak of attention seeking behavior that the internet reaches everyone and it is forever, may not end well. I don’t know the correct answer but I am curious how far one of those types of posts would go.

So in an effort to teach my children about the power of internet and social media, I need you to Reblog or Share and post your Country and nearest City in the Comments. If you have a secret persona just make up some place cool but don’t skip the sharing part. You don’t want my kids to grow up thinking the internet is safe now would you?

So if you hate chain letters or those posts where if you don’t forward to ten people your goldfish will die, this one is for you. This is totally different. Like completely. You’re welcome.

-Underdaddy to the rescue.

22 comments

  2. LOL! You make some good points. My favorite is when some girls get mad on facebook and falsely believing they have the entire world as an audience….decide to post something completely moronic about somebody we don’t even care about. I mean come on, you have the ear of the entire world! You could at least wish for world peace or something.

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  3. Well, crap, none of my posts or pictures have ever gone viral. Guess I’m doing something wrong. But at least I’m probably safer than the rest of you bloggers, at least according to that teacher.

    And I’m writing from Buffalo, NY, USA. And yes, it’s still snowing.

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  4. This is awesome. I remember when the internet first started to get big and my mother was super paranoid about me being on the internet as a kid. Of course, back then we didn’t really know how to use it properly. I feel like now the main issue isn’t that it’s not safe, but now we have internet bullying, which is far worse than the occasional spit on the sneakers on the playground. We also can’t ignore the 8th graders uploading nude pics on Twitter.

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    1. Umm yeah the underage thing is one of the worst problems. Plus kids fully develop at like eleven these days so that is a dangerous realm for anyone. Live a pure life and no worries right?

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      1. Yeah it’s pretty horrifying. I see that kind of stuff on Twitter all the time and it makes me cringe. I wasn’t even allowed to have a cellphone until I got my license let alone have four different social media platforms with an iPhone.

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  5. From a village in Saskatchewan (try saying that 10 times) Canada, the nearest city would be Regina, Saskatchewan is the big province in the middle of Canada 😉

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  10. I have gone viral and I have received death threats. No joking, no pun. I take it seriously.

    It is an important message that is being put out there. It is not a question of going viral, it is being aware that what you post online could have consequences.

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    1. I hit like but that sounds awful. Death threats are no joke and you don’t have to look far to find some crazy lurking on the internets. Seriously, the search terms people use and end up at my site are the worst and it makes me want to delete everything and live in the woods with big guard dogs. No joke.

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  11. I searched for a picture to use in a post once…and the results came up with picture on my site, which I had used in post before. I was more embarrassed that I had forgotten I had already written the darn thing than being “found”.

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