Even though I am in the age range that is comprised of this certain generation that doesn’t know a life out of FaceBook, I remember a time before the constant use of the internet. I remember what it was like to not have a cell phone because I didn’t until freshman year of high school and, quite frankly, I liked it. I liked checking in with my parents by calling them from a friends house phone. I liked going outside and playing sports opposed to playing virtual games online. I liked the privacy of knowing that the pictures that are taken of me are on the wall in my room and not on some “wall” on a website. However, I am not at all against this internet phenomenon. The way technology is spreading is slightly terrifying, but it is truly amazing.
In Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy the section that caught my attention the most was the Hey Nineteen. In here, it talked about “kids” being famewhores, attention-seekers, and illiterate. I agree that there is a huge percentage of users that abuse the internet for publicity and attention. However, to say “Kids today” becomes a biased statement that reflects bad judgment and ignorance. I never understood why some adults, including relatives of mine, disliked the internet, and especially the use of FaceBook, so much. Shirky makes a valid put when he says there might be a jealous that adults have for kids today. Most adults didn’t have digital cameras, a MacBook, internet access, or even a T.V. for that matter. There forms of communication were writing letters, smoke signals, and possibly carrier pigeons. Shirky said is best when he stated, “You didn’t behave like that because nobody gave you the option”. Whose to say that these adults, if given the appropriate technology, wouldn’t be the girls we see on Teen Mom or the boys appearing on the Real World?
Another point I liked in Hey Nineteen is the belief that everything we do is private, unless we put it out on the internet. As technology increases, so does the amount of surveillance that is put out in the world. I don’t blame the increased security and surveillance because who could? With crime and terrorism existing, I feel a sense of relief knowing that if something happened to me, chances are, it would be caught on some sort of tape. “Every street in New York has a surveillance camera. Each time you swipe your debit card at Duane Reade or use your MetroCard, that transaction is tracked. Your employer owns your e-mails. The NSA owns your phone calls. Your life is being lived in public whether you choose to acknowledge it or not (Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy, pg. 3)”. With the generation gap that separates the views on privacy here is my perspective. Privacy is something that you can act like exists so you can sleep at night and think that the only type of surveillance is Jesus Christ. OR you can admit that privacy no longer exists, it is how you choose to utilize with what you limit.
