Privacy in a Digital World

This week we looked at privacy issues, and how those issues can create chaos in our world. This got me thinking about our responsibilities as adults, and how I think we have been neglecting those responsibilities. We live in a world that is opening up to new technology, and we have entered it blindly...with unfounded trust. Shame on all of us for not demanding that these social networking sites protect our privacy; not for us, but for our children. Yes, identity theft is a huge issue and should be addressed, but the safety and well being of our children should always be most important...even if we don't have children.

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/13/2429318/area-teenagers-try-to-find-their.html

This article was posted today by the Kansas City Star. It made me sad to think of these teenagers going through the identity crisis that all teenagers go through, but publicly. They are living in a digital world, and receiving their information at warp-speed. They are not emotionally equipped to handle this, and we have not properly prepared them for what they are going through. Not because we don't care, but because we don't know. Yes, we all went through the teenage years, but not like this. We did not have to worry about our every movement being posted on You Tube. Our gossip was word-of-mouth or hand written notes passed in class, not texting to an entire community in a matter of minutes.

Overall, I think that it is time we take a step back from the excitement of our new found technologies and look at the potential impact on our children. Obviously the digital world is not going away...and it shouldn't. But we need to understand how it affects the younger generation so that we can buffer and guide them as we should.