I have been slack lately. I have discovered the joys of internet tv and have been a couch potato. Yes I admit it.
I have, however, run across this article about how some people, mostly teenagers and young adults, are putting too much information online and are now being forced to face the consequences for what they've posted. I think it draws a fine line between censorship and freedom of speech, and I'm not exactly sure which side I come down on yet. Granted, having a daughter that age, I can see her assuming that anyone who really matters is not going to see her My Space page (considering that even I don't know what the address for it is, and prefer it that way). But then there are also the arguments for showing some common sense and realizing that they don't live in a box, that their page IS going to be seen, occasionally by people they aren't expecting, and that maybe they shouldn't be stupid enough to post something that could get them in trouble.
I'd be interested to know what you think about this topic.
2 comments:
I do believe that schools are beginning to cross the line of enforcement. Things that they normally would have no jurisdiction over is suddenly fair game if its on the internet. I do think some of these kids go too far on their webpages, but personally I think if the school is aware of it they should notify the parents, rather than expelling the students. I'm pretty sure the parents would be horrified by what they see and most would do something about it.
Who knows though. Maybe I'm just hopelessly naive.
Bloggers have to be aware that the Internet is a public forum and that every word they write is probably forever archived somewhere. I've got Google caching some of my Usenet postings from as far back as 1994; I had no idea that my words would live on for more than a few days when I wrote them.
Nothing terribly embarrassing, but you never know. Of course, not using my full name (unique as it is) would have been one way to maintain anonymity.
I take personal liberties seriously, and I think it's pretty sad about that Christian school in Arkansas kicking out the student for being gay after discovering that fact on his blog.
I've managed to structure my life in such a way that I am beholden to nobody, so I am completely fearless of the consequences of offending anybody. I hold no sacred cows. The only guideline I live by is a to extend a professional courtesy to my employer and colleagues, and refrain from blogging about things that happen at work.
Who knows, I might run for public office one day and some radical viewpoint might come back and hurt me. But probably not.
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