How much of our personal life should we splash over the Internet for all to view? Over the past few years, technology has become the #1 form of communication for most folks. Gone are the days when we wrote intimate letters to someone to express our thoughts or picked up the phone and held a coversation while sitting on the couch in the living room of our home. These days text messages using incorrect grammar has replaced letters and phone calls using a blue tooth device while driving has replaced calls from home.I have witnessed folks race to electronic stores for the latest Blackberry and IPhone as if they never lived without such gadgets before. Of course it is our right, for some a duty, to keep abreast on what's current in the world of technology, but how much is too much?
The rise of technology has also brought an increase in the various modes of broadcasting of oneself. Today it is imperative that you own some sort of social networking account with popular sites like: Black Planet, MySpace, Facebook and recently added Twitter. Some use these places to catch a date, others use them to connect with friends from the past and present. I know people and businesses who use the cyber locations for advertising and marketing. When Oprah Winfrey has a few accounts then you know it's serious. And when Ashton Kutcher beats out CNN for the most followers on Twitter, you know social networking systems must be the place to be. If you don't have one you are considered "lame" and out of the loop. I guess this is where the pressure comes from, for the 20-30 something age group, to stay hip and connected.
I started a MySpace account over two years ago after hearing so much buzz about it from friends, celebrities and radio jocks. I became interested mainly because I wanted to market my business and build some sort of following for my mission. The page was used to connect with lost friends and give them a peek into my world using pictures, video and blogs. Then, about three months ago a close friend turned me onto Face book. She informed me that it was much easier to navigate than MySpace. After a few days, the pressure took over and I started an account. Soon after I began receiving loads of friend request from people I went to school with, but never really had a relationship with. I thought it was awfully weird, but had come to the conclusion that after ten years maybe everyone had matured and were seeking to connect on a networking level. Well once I accepted these folks, I heard nothing from them again. Not even a "Thanks Erv" or "How has life been treating you?" nothing! My immediate feelings were to delete all those who did not really want to be a friend, but I decided against it because there had to be some sort of purpose to the connection.
This is when I realized, maybe they just wanted to see what I had been up to over the years, how I had aged and what was going on in my personal life. I guess that's cool, but how much should I broadcast myself to the world to critique? And are there people out there truly interested? Is it okay to have so many accounts? What would be the limit? And who decides that limit? My overall concern is safety. How safe is it to put all your business over the net with pictures of your family? I am not being paranoid. I just had a few ideas about this popular phenomenon of broadcasting and wanted to ponder a few questions to you guys.
