When I think of things to write here, I often find myself stuck. Stuck, not because I can’t think of something to write. I’m stuck because I’m not sure if I want to put those thoughts out on the internet for everyone to read. I stop to consider that, though I have an opinion on a subject, is it one I want to color any image I may want to project.
Let’s face it. Perception is reality. Whatever we would like to believe about fairness and getting to the truth of something or the reality of something, perception is still very much a part of what we think of people, the world around us and even fiction.
Some one may admit to being a fan of some movie or music genre and we automatically think that gives us an idea of what they are like. Or perhaps we find out something about their hobbies, we often categorize people that way. ‘Oh, that person likes to hunt’, so they are a hunter, or maybe they like to play a particular game on the computer, then they become a gamer, or perhaps they like to participate in a sport so they become a jock. What about when something is said inadvertently and then is taken out of context and published everywhere. Whether, the remark was meant maliciously or not, whether it was meant to be enlightening or just a comment. All of these things are perception.
So what does this have to do with the internet and why I get stuck
when I sit down to write an article? Everything. Many people who choose to put their lives online and blog and share through social networking sites, do not seem to realize that they are living their lives in a very public way. They might as well be living in a glass apartment in the busiest part of town where everyone can watch. And with that, regardless of how ‘good a person’ they are if they are not careful and cognizant of what they do and publish, and how they say it, their reputation and image can become something that they maybe didn’t want.
So I think about what I am going to write and how I am going to say it. I consider it carefully. I do not know for sure what I will want to do with my life going forward, I certainly do not want to leave things for a current or future employer to find that might shade their hiring decision in a less than favorable manner.
We want the internet to be free of controls and we want it to be open and in our quest for this, through use, we do not self sensor. While this may be a good thing, we do spend a great deal of time not speaking out against things we know are wrong and just going with the status-quo. And then again, when it comes to what some one did with who at some party and how much they drank, or disclosing your personal opinion of your workplace and it’s inner goings on, well perhaps we should practice a little more self censorship.
What amazes me most about the internet, is not the amount of information that can be found there, it is not the things that I can’t find there, it is not even the amount of content of questionable merit, it is the fact that many people living their lives there are shocked, and often indignant to find that some one has used the information they are freely offered against the publisher. And don’t forget, our phones now come with cameras. It may not be you that publishes that compromising photo of your weekend party, it may, however; be you that pays the price.
If we are going to live our lives in wide open public world of the internet and offer our opinions to the world, we need to understand that we will be judged by our opinions, actions, and examples.
Originally published at: suguayproductions.com/joomla which has been discontinued.
