Just why do we need to think before we post and text? A logical question your kids may be asking you. Here's a possible answer: because... online socializers and media sharers have invisible audiences those audiences could be small or huge (tough to tell) those readers, viewers, friends, acquaintances, potential ex-friends and employers can copy, paste, do just about anything they want with our … [Read more...] about The Net effect
reputation
Digital body art
A great metaphor for the Net effect on digital natives' lives is used by the University of British Columbia, which has a whole Web site about the "digital tattoo," with a tutorial on how to "Protect," "Connect," "Learn," and "Work" with the Net effect. Here's how UBC explains it: "Just like a tattoo, your digital reputation is an expression of yourself. It's highly visible, and hard to remove. … [Read more...] about Digital body art
Tech & the student athlete
In proportion to their notoriety, star athletes (and aspiring ones) run the risk of a different kind of celebrity on the social Web. Established student athletes have probably already learned this, hopefully not the hard way. "Post a photo of yourself on your own or someone else's Facebook page holding a beer at a party or engaging in some other objectionable behavior and you could find yourself a … [Read more...] about Tech & the student athlete
Not actually ‘extreme teens’
This bit of pop anthropology in the Financial Times may interest parents: a university student telling an older friend how glad she is not to be a teenager these days. With social-network sites and services, she says, teens are on display 24/7. Sure, they put themselves in that position, but there's a great deal of pressure on them to, she suggests. They not only have to project an image but also … [Read more...] about Not actually ‘extreme teens’
Who’ll see what I post 20 yrs from now?
That's a question that needs to hang around 24/7 in the back of social networkers' and bloggers' minds, because - according to the authors of just-published Born Digital (Basic Books, 2008) - "at no time in human history has information about a young person been more freely and publicly accessible to so many others.” This comes as no surprise to many parents, but few of us know the reasons. Here's … [Read more...] about Who’ll see what I post 20 yrs from now?