Google Yourself
I googled myself the other day. I am fairly unknown (Only for now, mind you.) and have a relatively new web presence. But if you type in my name on the google.com site, the first page of images includes a picture of me. If you know where I work, I come up on the web results within the first three web entries. This is scary to me.
My grandma refusing to give out her social security number over the phone doesn’t sound nearly as conspiracy-theory paranoid as it once did. We are too accessible.
People can keep tabs on people much easier nowadays. Being a creeper is virtually effortless. And for more efficient stalking purposes, you can pay $29.95 on a website and purchase anyone’s records/addresses/contact information. You can google your ex-boyfriend and see if he is currently blogging about what a wretched sea-hag you were to him. You can connect internationally with people of the same interests. You can order a wife. You can find people you haven’t spoken to or seen in decades. The glory of the internet is also, I’m afraid, our downfall.
A common thread when googling people also appears to be Twitter. If you have a Twitter account, you are found with even more precision. All these technological advances and web-based living is dangerous for the obvious social and relational reasons it presents, but it is also dangerous to your privacy. Opening yourself to a world of uninhibited information on the internet, a sense of community with the planet, and a direct link from creepers to you. It’s a fine line. It may not be worth the risk. Is there a way to protect yourself and your information while maintaining a prominent web presence? Can you network/promote yourself fluently without sacrificing your safety? Thoughts?
artwork: Andy Hayes
