As I read this week’s blog assignment I couldn’t help but remember the episode of How I met Your Mother in which Ted, after swearing to not Google his date, finds himself freaking out about what he doesn’t know only because she agreed that it was a good idea not to Google each other. However, as Ted was being his typical anxious self (for those who are not familiar with the program: his over-thinking is iconic) I couldn’t help but find that relatable. As much as we are taught about privacy online in school and through employability horror stories, nowadays having a presence online is normal. I don’t think it is either a good or a bad thing any more, it is just a thing. Considering that, I must confess that I find myself feeling frustrated and then alarmed if I can’t find somebody on Facebook or at least on Google. I start imagining all the horrible scenarios in which someone would find themselves so afraid of publicity that they exclude themselves from the online world to such an extent. Whilst I know that is a bit dramatic, I also think that being afraid to leave an online footprint is not an attractive character trait. Is it is so far fetched to assume that if one is afraid to take the risk that comes with exploring the online world, they might also be too afraid to explore the real one?
As for me, I do keep my privacy settings up because I don’t like inappropriate attention, but I don’t allow horror stories to deter me from the benefits of social networking sites.
I’m not calling you a coward if you’re not on Facebook. But I kind of am.
Network Society and the Media 