Age of the Internet
Technology has been around for a fair amount of time, since the 20th century and has continued to evolve. From the rise of modern technology and the advent of the take-home computer system (computers have been around for many years longer than most people know) came the birth of the internet. The internet has revolutionized our entire way of life, especially with social media coming into public prominence in the early to mid 2000s. It seems like everything in the real world is tied in with the cyber world nowadays.
When I first started using the internet, the times were different from today. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the closest thing to social media were Instant Messenger Chatrooms. Looking back, it could be argued that we were taught to use the internet based on what the previous generation's experience was with it, which was very little. The rule of thumb with chatrooms was to always use a fake alias, or a screenname, and to never give out any personal information. This seemed to be the way of the internet until social media, like MySpace and Facebook, got big in the mid to late 2000s.
Fast forward to the present day, things are ever-so different. Change isn't always bad. Growing up, I always had the impression that teachers having social media was frowned upon. Nowadays it seems to be quite the opposite! Even if you aren't a teacher, your social media accounts are scoured by college admissions committees and potential employers, so you have to be careful of what you post.
To tie everything up, it is strange how much online identities have changed within my short lifetime. Early on, anonymity was the name of the game; never ever give away who you are. Today, the opposite reigns. You are you, take pride in it. Exceptions obviously are made. As much as we don't want little children on social media, they still make accounts. For the younger internet users I would definitely encourage them to keep their identities hidden and encourage their parents or guardians to monitor their activity. Just like everything else in life, there is a huge gray area and all views and philosophies on internet usage and personalities differ from person to person.
When I first started using the internet, the times were different from today. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the closest thing to social media were Instant Messenger Chatrooms. Looking back, it could be argued that we were taught to use the internet based on what the previous generation's experience was with it, which was very little. The rule of thumb with chatrooms was to always use a fake alias, or a screenname, and to never give out any personal information. This seemed to be the way of the internet until social media, like MySpace and Facebook, got big in the mid to late 2000s.
Fast forward to the present day, things are ever-so different. Change isn't always bad. Growing up, I always had the impression that teachers having social media was frowned upon. Nowadays it seems to be quite the opposite! Even if you aren't a teacher, your social media accounts are scoured by college admissions committees and potential employers, so you have to be careful of what you post.
To tie everything up, it is strange how much online identities have changed within my short lifetime. Early on, anonymity was the name of the game; never ever give away who you are. Today, the opposite reigns. You are you, take pride in it. Exceptions obviously are made. As much as we don't want little children on social media, they still make accounts. For the younger internet users I would definitely encourage them to keep their identities hidden and encourage their parents or guardians to monitor their activity. Just like everything else in life, there is a huge gray area and all views and philosophies on internet usage and personalities differ from person to person.
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