Have you ever found that when you're reading an email, text, or maybe even this blog, that you cannot tell someones emotions? Even with the emotional icons that one can put into these messages you still aren't able to tell the tone of someones voice. This also is the case with business emails as well. I don't know how many times I read my work email to misconstrue what someone is saying for something else.
AND then we get onto the larger issue of people pretending to be someones else, or purposely misleading someone on the net, such as sexual predators. With all the various social networking sites available it can be very easy for someone to join a chat room, online community, group, form, or even a blog and connect with people they don't even know. mostly it is in a cooperative fashion, but sometimes it can be some pretending to be someone else.
What the internet needs is a way to tell right from wrong, good from bad and sexual predators from innocent little girls. I have no clue how they would do this, but I'm sick of wondering whether the person on the other end of this funny screen is really the person I think they are, and what they are really thinking. I guess the possible solution would be to stop typing this blog to everyone and pick up the phone and arrange a quick lunch with the intended readers of this blog, so here I go.
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I agree that you can never know the intentions of the individual you’re chatting to online, as people do not that face to face confrontation. Emails, text messages and blogs provide an easier way to communicate with others, but do not provide sufficient data to determine who’s a sexual predator or online hackers. This misinterpretation has increased the amount of innocent children who have become victims of strangers they have met online. Individuals can avoid these problems by not placing all their personal information on their profiles, and joining specific sites that allow you to decide who to chat with; like face book. This will allow only specific individuals to read your messages and add the people you want on to the website.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people should not be meeting people online because it is almost impossible to know who you are really talking to. Kids getting tricked into meeting online predators can be avoided with proper internet use. Kids, or anyone for that matter, should not be talking on chatrooms to strangers and if they feel the need to meet people this way it should be kept to the internet and not turned into meeting in person, that's when it gets dangerous. Online chatting can be a great way to stay in touch with old friends via Facebook or MSN when you have to add and accept the people on your contact lists so you know exactly who you are talking to and who can see the information about yourself that you post online. MSN messenger is very secure because no one can see anything and cannot chat with you until you accept their request. Facebook, on the other hand, can be as safe or as dangerous as you want. There is settings so that only your friends (who you choose) can see your profile. You can also make your setting so that anyone online can see your profile but that is with your own discretion and people who want to be safe from online predators should use more caution than to set there profile as public.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.romow.com/kids-blog/teen-tips-staying-safe-from-online-predators/
The link has many tips for safe online practises. so you can enjoy online chatting without putting yourself at risk.
There are two contrasting issues expressed by Kevin in this topic. The first is a situation where the identity is usually known but the underlying meaning is not, while the second is where both identity and intentions are uncertain. The true difference, however, is in the impact that results.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading an email or text from a friend, oftentimes it is the misapplication of sarcasm that is the source of confusion. Either the reader misses the sarcasm and takes the statement literally, or the reader inserts sarcasm where none was intended. In both situations the reader can take offense inappropriately, but these types of misunderstandings can usually be resolved with a simple phone call and little harm is caused.
The second situation is not so simple. When an individual creates an online identity that hides who they really are, any confusion resulting from others can not be identified as accidental. Young people especially are at risk. A quick Google search will bring up numerous examples of teenagers who have been intentionally deceived by people posing as someone they are not (example: http://onlineworldsecurity.com/14/be-aware-of-online-predators-on-social-networking-sites/). There is also no easy fix for a child who gets taken advantage of in this way, either from the emotional impact that results, or in some cases even physical abuse. Such intentional, hurtful behaviour can not be quickly glossed over. Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to control the Internet; it is up to each family to educate their children to protect themselves.