3 Musketeers

Social Networking sites have not been recieving a passing grade. Privacy issues and content are under the microscope. Tragic news stories frequently make reference to negative comments and sensitive personal information obtained from these sites. A few bad apples have spoiled what started out as an easy and fun way to keep in touch with friends and relatives and share photos. Many popular sites have become a playground for people who are more interested in gossip and bullying. How far is too far? Some experts would argue that more people benefit from these sites than not. Do you think they improve our social lives or are they more harmful than good?

An interesting article on March 10,2010 in the Edmonton Journal caught my attention: "Cyrus Happy She Left Twitter". Seventeen Year old teen star Miley Cyrus had close to a million people following her on twitter when her boyfriend asked her to stop last October. Cyrus says her life is alot more fullfilling now that she actually goes outside and talks to people. She talks on the phone a lot less and considers herself to be more of a social person with her real friends.


http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Cyrus+happy+left+Twitter/2691789/story.html

If I told you that this picture was real, would you believe me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

We are well known about the media and its influential position in society. Advertisements, magazines, billboards, television, etc. are all different ways media has come through to the public, affecting teenagers and other people. Images shown on media are often distorted images that have been altered and changed by photoshopping. With enhanced technology, it as created an increased use of photoshop in advertisements pressuring young females to attain the ideal look that has been technically altered. This process of photoshop changes and alters the way people look to make them appear flawless and perfect. This has created a false perfection that is continuously displayed for people all over the world.

Information Literacy, the complexity of reliable information. In todays world where freedom of speech is heavily used on the internet, we have to think to ourselves, "Can we really trust this opinion or information?". Word on a certain object goes around fast these days and so does ones attention. One small miscommunication and the whole story of 'Little Red Riding Hood' is suddenly about fruit cakes. Society needs to be careful with what they are reading upon.

With websites such as Wikipedia and Blogger, anybody has the power of misconception. Even this post that i am writing about could be a lie, but i assure you this is completely truthful. Though the internet is a world of information and manipulation, society has come to terms that information sharing sites need control and limitations.

Wikipedia, a world famous information website where users have the ability to share knowledge on various topics to other users, is kind of like a world wide encyclopedia that is updated almost daily. After a certain incident where users would change various topic informations, tricking people into believing lies, the website agreed to have a "security" team of moderators and administrators. With such power watching over the site, shared information were once again truthful and reliable.

Though without evidence or some sort of power to watch over those who lie, just how exactly can we figure out if it's reliable or not?

We can't.

Only ones conscience can tell.

As Buddha once said "Believe Nothing, No Matter Who Said It, Not Even If I Said It, Unless It Agrees With Your Own Reason And Common Sense."