I just googled my name. Most of the hits have to do with me, including my google profile, my facebook page, my twitter page, my old myspace page , (how embarrassing) and some classmates.com page for my old elementary school that I don't remember making. I remember the first time I was introduced to the internet I was told that you weren't even supposed to tell people your first name because even with that they could send you viruses, steal your identity, and then track you down and rape you. Now maybe they just told us that because we were kids and the internet was a relatively new and scary place, and I've seen enough episodes of To Catch A Predator to know that shit is totally possible. But I think that the social aspects and safety of the internet, while still being quite dangerous, have changed a lot since I was a kid. Let's talk about it NOW!
I remember before social networking websites because a popular thing that it was only publicly acceptable to use the internet for information, chat with your CLOSE friends on MSN Messeneger (ah nostalgia) or maybe buying things. Back then citing the internet was a near fail safe because you could pretty much say that your source was National Geographic's website and no one would be the wiser. Also if you ever broad casted that you bought something online you were hot shit because A. you knew how to use a fucking computer and B. you had enough money to ship shit to your house. However, if you ever let it slip that you talked to people in a chat room or even worse, made friends with someone you had only met on the internet, well you were just a fucking loser.
Now that, was some of the stupidest shit I think I've ever grown up with. Why, for any reason, would a kid in a small community who can't seem to find people in the same age group to relate with, NOT use the fucking internet for social purposes. I think at any given time during my adolescents I had probably 3-5 close friends whom I'd never met. And now, even into my 20s I can proudly say that I have some really great people who I've met online that are just as close if not closer than a lot of my "real life" friends.
Internet socialization isn't for everybody, and if you've ever been on chatroulette for longer than 4 minutes you'd know that it isn't always safe. I have to say though, it is so fucking acceptable now it would make 13-year-old Mike pitch a fit. I'm currently chatting on Skype with my 12-year-old cousin Mia. She informs me that she doesn't have a facebook or anything like because of dangers it poses, her parents wouldn't like it, and that basically her life is too busy to manage social utility sites. Well that makes perfect sense to me because Mia is an active young girl, involved in several sports, and I'm sure has plenty of friends. But I feel pretty bad for the kids out there that can't find anything in common with the people around them. The kids that don't go to a school with hundreds or thousands of other kids and can't find people like them. Or even the kids that are surrounded by peers but still don't know how to interact with them. I feel like the computer is a sort of safety window for people that aren't very sociable and using it to meet friends just works better for them.
I guess as times goes on these things become more acceptable but also more dangerous. If I ever made the mistake of having children I think I'd feel very conflicted because as someone who's grown up attached to the internet I would know how useful it can be for a kid but I'd be scared to let them got too far into it. I mean you always want them to go outside a couple times a month too right? Oh well, let me know what you think.
P.S. I wanted to write a little note to all of my e-friends who's company I've enjoyed over the years. Thanks a bunch guys. Oh and a big shout out to the colonies.com crew!
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