In relation to my recent post on the social networking sites, a couple of things have been brought to my attention that highlight the negative impact such forms of new media can have on society.
As i mentioned, these sites allow us to advertise ourselves along with our social activities within the digital world. However there is always the danger that this information may fall into the wrong hands. I mean do we really want our peronal information on display to the whole of cyber space?
The daily mail today shows a story that reads 'Birthday boy's father and brother battered by YouTube party gatecrashers'. The incident apparently followed details of a young boy's birthday party being posted on the website, in order to invite and inform his friends, however due to the 'open' nature of these sites this information was also available to a number of people who were not invited, and thus gatecrashed the party, causing acts of violence and criminal damage. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487045&in_page_id=1770 (for full story)
It has also been brought to my attention that these sites are a haven for computer hackers, who simply 'add' you as a friend or to their contact list, and are then able to steal information from you personal computer. It is all very well 'embracing' this digital age, however we must proceed with caution.