First let me say that I believe cyberspace socialization is a good thing. Naturally, there are risks involved. Among them: are:
1) the tendency to respond off the top of one's head, which is apt to lead to misunderstanding.
2) providing too much personal information;
3) becoming dependent to the point of failing to cultivate real-life friendships;
4) lack of exercise;
5) eyestrain;
6) being taken advantage of by con artists;
7) swallowing what one is told hook, line, and sinker, which may lead to
agreement to get together with someone who is essentially a stranger --
possibly a dangerous one;
8) exposure to too many ads, thus increasing the likelihood of overspending.
One cannot go on enough about this subject as it is of paramount
importance that those in our care are made aware of the
pitfalls that are there.
Our children, although more canny than we are in some things,
sometimes are, by their very age, innocent to
how some in this world view things.
Networking as it's called has really taken off in a big way
as MySpace and YouTube and others have shown....
Everybody is jumping in and having a say and meeting
others........which is really great ....... if it weren't for the 'lurkers'
in the background, watching and waiting to pounce on
information that is passed between the 'users'....
This information they collect is usually of a private nature....
either snips about themselves..... or where they live.....
their families..... neighbours....... so in the end a picture
is formed of a particular person.....
and very soon its easy for the 'lurker' to either pinpoint where they
live or go to school.
Or these 'lurkers' might even be pretending to
be someone like them......... and striking up a friendship...
it goes on and on...
It seems when you pick up a newspaper there is yet another
spate of arrests made......... it doesn't appear to be
getting less....... meaning that our younger ones are not
becoming more savvy....... maybe some are..........maybe
it's because more are joining the ranks......but either way it
certainly means we need to be constantly on top of this
to make sure that at least our children are informed and
protected.
~ Angels that Care ~ ~ Angels that Care ~
