Are we enjoying the moment or recording it?

A few months ago my oldest sister married the man of her dreams. However, when we received the photos from her big day, it got me thinking ‘are we enjoying the moment or recording it.’

Citizens all around the world have this constant need and desire to post exactly what they are doing for the day. In today’s society it’s more likely people are going out to post about it rather than going out for the sake of it. So how has this changed the way humans communicate? Social networking sites (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter …) have become a major reason for change in the way individuals communicate. Everything is instant!

— Instant messages — Instant photos — Instant everything.

Within a split second you can share something with the entire world, which you may later on regret. But within that split second your photo, post or message is forever online. This concept is known as a digital footprint, which “reflects how individuals actively participates in the digital universe” (Anonymous, 2008). Some may believe this can become an invasion of privacy. However, I believe you should consider what you post before posting it, therefore you will have a ‘healthy’ digital footprint.

Internet users or known as netizens are rapidly growing. It is stated that the “digital universe was equal to almost 45 gigabytes (GB) of digital information for every person on earth” (Anonymous, 2008). These statistics were dated by in 2007, so you can only imagine what it would be today. More and more individuals are adapting into this digital world, however are they aware of the ethical considerations?

We hear so many stories of individuals losing their jobs due to how they communicate with others online. Going back to week 3's lecture on Personal Learners Network we discovered the importance to consider what your putting online. The phrase ‘would you like your grandmother to see that’, might have helped the “school teacher who lost her job after a raunchy video of her twerking, in a bikini on holiday 400 miles away from her school” (COMM140 W3 PLN, 2016).

User of the internet must consider their actions. “Power in the digital world must be constrained, balanced, and held accountable in order to prevent manipulation and abuse.” (MacKinnon, 2012). I completely agree with Rebecca Mackinnon, we as citizens of the net have the responsibility of what we are sharing online. We are required to remember that our physical world and digital world are intertwined.

By thinking before posting we are more likely to follow ethics and remember to live in the moment rather than online!

References:

Cleaves, P. (2016). Personal Learning Network. Lecture, Australian Catholic University Strathfield.

Digital footprint. (2008). Access Control & Security Systems, 51(4), 8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/docview/224803591?accountid=8194

MacKinnon, R. (2012). The Netizen. Development, 55(S2), 201–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/dev.2012.5