The Downside of Social Media

Recently I read a blog that the incoming MI6’s (that's the equivalent to the CIA in the USA) head was ticked off. Apparently, his wife had posted pictures of him and his family and God forbid - details of his residential address in London on Facebook.
This is as good as saying - Hey, come and get me. The British government, naturally, was not amused. But neither was I!
This got me thinking. The blogger had also posted details of Sir So-and-So’s wife’s Facebook details which I saw. This is actually a double whammy. Not only should he have not have had access to this sensitive information, I should not have had it too. It is lucky that I am not a fanatic lurking in an internet maze waiting for just this kind of information.
Facebook – the name is self-explanatory. It is an open book where everybody loves to post their personal information online for all to see.
Well, you could say that you and I are not heading MI6, so what difference could it make to anybody what I post.
But think again. You post updates about your upcoming holiday in the Bermudas. Mr. Breaking-Open-The-House-In-The-Night-Specialist, “Thank you for telling me that you are taking a holiday with the missus and the kids in Bermuda.” Not only have you very kindly provided him with your address but you have also told him that the house is perfectly empty and practically begging to be burgled.
It seems to me that the whole world is caught up in the social media buzz. Everybody seems to be busy pounding away information about what they eat, when they sleep, what they like to drink, what food they love. Even what they think, for God’s sake!
Everybody has got so caught up with the so called “transparency” frenzy that they show a bit too much about their personal lives.
They forget that there could be a dark side to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and even blogs. There is no information which can be termed private. You can argue that this information is meant for only for friends and family. But you forget that there is a stalker waiting for any tidbit of information.
Information about your children, their names, their ages – anything… a pedophile can use all of this. And I am not being frivolous when I state this. Pedophilia is a malaise our society could well do without but social media sites like Facebook and Twitter just encourage them.
Consider this – you are drinking coffee with an acquaintance and probably sharing some information about your company. Earlier days, you could say – Hey, this is off the record.
I haven’t heard the term – Hey, this is off the blog!