My 2 Cents on Everything!
My 2 Cents on Everything!
In the past few months we have discussed multiple topics involving new age media and communication. Some was interesting, while others were downright scary. Never the less, what is exactly should we do with this information?
In my opinion, we should view most of these topics with enthusiasm. In the past 15 years, we have seen incredible new platforms and mediums for us to communicate emerge. Everyone now has an online persona on at least one platform, be it Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Myspace, or Snapchat just to name a few. Even our current president uses social media as his primary means of communication with the American people, and it is now emerging just how much social media's role played in the 2016 election. It just goes to show that the study of sociolinguistics is only in its initial stages, and will sure grow immensely with every new platform of communication that is added. We are only barely begging to understand how our new habits, and even old habits on new platforms, will affect our society. According to one report by Hootsuite, there are now just over 3 billion social media users online, and of course that number is ever growing!
The other thought I would like everyone to hopefully take from my posts is pretty clearly just how important the safety of you and your information really is. From identity theft to purchasing stolen credit cards on the darknet and even sending lewd photos of yourself electronically- the consequences and effects I documented personally. The capabilities and possibilities of what can be done with a phone or a computer or a social media account are only slightly known, and always changing. What is considered safe one day can be hacked the next. I would urge everyone to keep anything electronic whether it is a file, photo, video, record, or whatever that is personal to them in any way offline. Store it on a drive that you keep in your closet or cabinet, disconnected from your computer or phone. It is clear that anything connected to the internet or cellular signal can be hacked or compromised, and if it can not yet it soon will be! We should all remember as well that anything posted online or sent electronically is potentially in existence forever. What we say and do online will be viewable to others and still be there 5,10, even 20 years from now. For the first time, a large part of every persons casual daily communication is in fact becoming part of a permanent public record!
Stay safe and enjoy what new technology has to offer!
Morgan Thrift
In the past few months we have discussed multiple topics involving new age media and communication. Some was interesting, while others were downright scary. Never the less, what is exactly should we do with this information?
In my opinion, we should view most of these topics with enthusiasm. In the past 15 years, we have seen incredible new platforms and mediums for us to communicate emerge. Everyone now has an online persona on at least one platform, be it Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Myspace, or Snapchat just to name a few. Even our current president uses social media as his primary means of communication with the American people, and it is now emerging just how much social media's role played in the 2016 election. It just goes to show that the study of sociolinguistics is only in its initial stages, and will sure grow immensely with every new platform of communication that is added. We are only barely begging to understand how our new habits, and even old habits on new platforms, will affect our society. According to one report by Hootsuite, there are now just over 3 billion social media users online, and of course that number is ever growing!
The other thought I would like everyone to hopefully take from my posts is pretty clearly just how important the safety of you and your information really is. From identity theft to purchasing stolen credit cards on the darknet and even sending lewd photos of yourself electronically- the consequences and effects I documented personally. The capabilities and possibilities of what can be done with a phone or a computer or a social media account are only slightly known, and always changing. What is considered safe one day can be hacked the next. I would urge everyone to keep anything electronic whether it is a file, photo, video, record, or whatever that is personal to them in any way offline. Store it on a drive that you keep in your closet or cabinet, disconnected from your computer or phone. It is clear that anything connected to the internet or cellular signal can be hacked or compromised, and if it can not yet it soon will be! We should all remember as well that anything posted online or sent electronically is potentially in existence forever. What we say and do online will be viewable to others and still be there 5,10, even 20 years from now. For the first time, a large part of every persons casual daily communication is in fact becoming part of a permanent public record!
Stay safe and enjoy what new technology has to offer!
Morgan Thrift
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