-I read in the magazine yesterday about two girls who posted online and made up stories to get attention in the media. What is the world coming to today? One girl talked about how she cut herself, and she was depressed, and another talked about how she was raped and beaten at home. Those are the most horrible stories to make up. If they just wrote short stories, which they didn't apply to as part of their personal lives, that would be ok, but to lie about your own life! That is why the internet is not a safe place, but it is a free space to express your thoughts and opinions about daily life. I know that the internet regulates certain things from being posted, such as excessive cursing, but I wonder what else does it regulate.
-I know it is a fact that people lie online when they chat, about their age, where they live, and their physical features, just to get attention, or to hook up....I wouldn't lie about these, but I definitely wouldn't provide my picture, because how do I know if you really look like that in real life? There are stalkers out there, and it's creepy what they can do nowadays....What do you think is a way to make internet safer, or is it too hard to think of a solution? Feel free to express~
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i provide my picture, like the one in my green hoodie :D for a visual for people. its nice to read a book and create a setting to yoru likings and see what it actually looks like when that book turns into a movie. but on the other hand i do agree with you, there are stalkers out there, and its waaay too easy to convince someone to "meet up" or for 15 year old girls to be targeted by old guys on the internet. i dont know. i love the internet, places like myspace, facebook, progressiveU, its a way to explore whats out there, whether its good or bad.
Unfortunately, but I don't think there is a way to make the actual internet safer. The only way to do that would be to institute types of censorship, which I am definitely against. Blocking our freedom of speech in the name of the greater good is something that some may want, but I personally think is dangerous.
The only way to make the internet safer is to educate kids about what is and is not appropriate to do on it, and moreover for parents to keep an eye on what their kids are doing. Even though I hated my parents breathing down my neck when I was on the internet at 11 and 12 years old, I understand now that they were just trying to keep me safe. Luckily, I knew better than to let any information about myself out. But it is up to the parents to do this, not the government.
I don't think this is an internet problem. This is an adolescent girl problem. I suppose boys do similar things, but generally make of stories to be heroes, not objects of pity. As far back as we have history we have adolescent girls lying to get attention. Hell, the Salem Witch Trials were the result of adolescent girls lying to get attention and power. People died there. Things are actually getting safer.
Res ipsa loquitur.
memor mori, mahalo.