Internet Transparency

Students eager to communicate with friends, blog and maybe get involved with online ventures should be aware of the double edged sword that is internet transparency. While transparency is for the most part a good thing it is wise to proceed with caution when baring your soul (or anything else) in cyberspace. This is a lesson being learnt around the globe by governments and film stars who are finding that in the World Wide Web there are no secrets and it seems, every image and tape ever filmed will find its way there.

While most of us needn’t be concerned about turning up on Wikileaks, or in a risqué YouTube production, it is fair to say that every claim you make, every venture you get involved with and any trouble you get into will be recorded for posterity somewhere in cyberspace. Initially that may not bother you in the slightest but start to think about who is using the net these days and you may begin to wonder and maybe worry just a little. Your mom, your dad and your future employers will, if current figures continue or increase, search your name, maybe your school and almost definitely your social networking sites.

In some ways the internet has brought us back to a time when we had to maintain honorable characters in the community because everything we did was known and discussed. We were as likely to get a job or a partner based upon our reputations as our presentation. In many respects the internet has reinvented the small community in which everyone knows everyone and it has broadened the scope of that community to include the entire planet.

While it might seem funny at the time and amongst friends, to have your dirty laundry aired online, or to participate in that somewhat dodgy online business, in the long run it will likely come back to haunt you.