This Blog Post Will Live In The Internet Forever
March 8, 2008 – 8:23 pm
Posted in internet, tech
Society is in a transition stage when it comes to information. Technology has enhanced not only the speed in which people access information but also the breadth of it. This leads to less anonymity and cases like one that I came across about a Ryerson University freshman who is fighting 147 charges of academic misconduct because he was helping run a chemistry study group on Facebook. I’m not saying that the student wasn’t in the wrong here but he shouldn’t be at risk for expulsion either. Comparing answers, discussing problems, and helping other students out is a part of academia and whether it was done in person or online shouldn’t matter. In the end, it’s student education and the learning process that should be the focal point here.
As part of the learning process, everyone, especially younger generations, needs to understand that anything that is posted on the web is probably able to be found with enough searching. Again, it goes back to the breadth of information and speed to which you can access it. There are many tools like Wink.com which can search social networks, blogs, websites, and more and give you back results based on search criteria such as last name, location, school, interests, etc.
Students are not the only ones who are naive about the drunken photos they post on their social networks. Last July, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey was discovered to have anonymously posted negative forum posts against his company’s competitor, Wild Oats Markets from 1999 to 2006. With so much data being stored and tracked, you can find out almost anything these days.
Society needs to be more sensitive to these issues and should be conscious about what they do online. I understand that my blog, my social networking profiles, pictures that I and other people post, etc. are all potentially accessible by anyone. But, I’m also quite vigilant in monitoring what is out there and accessing the risk when I put content out there myself.
That being said, I’m sure that I’m in the minority of those who strongly considers how they interact with the Internet. There are new rules of conduct that are taking shape in this digital world today and it’ll take time for the adjustments to take place. I believe that society should be more forgiving towards conflicts that arise and issues like the one at Ryerson University.
Tags: Education, Facebook, Ryerson University, Whole Foods, Wink
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