This Weirds Me OUt.
I love my iGoogle, cause I set it up to bring anything I care about (as well as some frivolity) right to me on a single page. I get the weather in the three cities I spend the most time in. I get my horoscope. Quick access to my gmail account, a random Office quote, the date and time, inspiring quotes, a countdown to my wedding (courtesy of my mum), and the top headlines from CBC and Macleans.
And just now I went to iGoogle in hopes of something attracting my attention, and found this.
The article in and of itself is very sad and distressing. But what really roped me in were the last two paragraphs:
She last updated her profile on social-networking website Facebook on Sunday, where she expressed her affection for her boyfriend: "Diana is missing her other half :("
Modelling photos are noticeably absent on her Facebook profile. Instead, she had posted dozens of shots of her goofing off with friends.
After reading this, curiosity overwhelmed me and I logged into my own facebook account and searched for this poor dead girl's profile.
Sure enough, I found it right away. Being a Vancouverite, she was a member of my (Vancouver, BC) network, and had left her profile unprotected for anyone in the same network to see.
Now, let me preface this by saying that I am strongly in the camp that feels that if it's posted on the internet, it's fair game. The "internet" implies by its very etymologia that when online, one is sharing with everyone else with we access.
I don't understand why teenagers feel the need to reveal their innermost selves via their facebook profiles, and then are surprised when they reap the consequences in the "real" (at work, in school, etc.) world. I think I learned that lesson at about 17, when in college I blogged about what bitches my landlord and roommate were- and promptly got evicted upon them finding the blog.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out my mum's exasperation as she tried to explain to me that 'Yes, Dayna, you can certainly write whatever you want in your superprivateidontgivetheurltojustanybody blog, but be aware that you're telling literally anyone who will listen, and you're basically just screwing yourself with every negative thought you conceive of writing. I was just offended that anyone I didn't give the URL to could possibly have gotten ahold of said blog.
These days, I'm a net-prude. Yes, you should have more than a modicum of privacy online, but the fact is that you don't. I've passworded and friended absolutely everything, and even so, I rarely write anything particularly personal on here. My mum always has been a hell of a lot more tech-savvy than me, and likely always will be.
But I've digressed horribly.
The thing is that I firmly believe that if one blogs online, it's fair game.
But this particular news story seems unfair to me.
And yes, I realise it is futile and clicheed to rant about the 'evil' of newsmedia. But it seems immoral to me to search out what was so clearly intended to be a private profile, and publish it to the masses. Now anyone of thousands of Vancouverites on Facebook can go and see her photos, discussions with friends, interests, and other personal information that surely the deceased never intended to become public domain. Yes, you have the ability to search facebook for article subjects. Yes, some of them may have neglected to lock their profiles. But is it really necessary to open such a large window into the life of this poor girl?
I may continue this rant later, but I doubt it.
And just now I went to iGoogle in hopes of something attracting my attention, and found this.
The article in and of itself is very sad and distressing. But what really roped me in were the last two paragraphs:
She last updated her profile on social-networking website Facebook on Sunday, where she expressed her affection for her boyfriend: "Diana is missing her other half :("
Modelling photos are noticeably absent on her Facebook profile. Instead, she had posted dozens of shots of her goofing off with friends.
After reading this, curiosity overwhelmed me and I logged into my own facebook account and searched for this poor dead girl's profile.
Sure enough, I found it right away. Being a Vancouverite, she was a member of my (Vancouver, BC) network, and had left her profile unprotected for anyone in the same network to see.
Now, let me preface this by saying that I am strongly in the camp that feels that if it's posted on the internet, it's fair game. The "internet" implies by its very etymologia that when online, one is sharing with everyone else with we access.
I don't understand why teenagers feel the need to reveal their innermost selves via their facebook profiles, and then are surprised when they reap the consequences in the "real" (at work, in school, etc.) world. I think I learned that lesson at about 17, when in college I blogged about what bitches my landlord and roommate were- and promptly got evicted upon them finding the blog.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out my mum's exasperation as she tried to explain to me that 'Yes, Dayna, you can certainly write whatever you want in your superprivateidontgivetheurltojustanybody blog, but be aware that you're telling literally anyone who will listen, and you're basically just screwing yourself with every negative thought you conceive of writing. I was just offended that anyone I didn't give the URL to could possibly have gotten ahold of said blog.
These days, I'm a net-prude. Yes, you should have more than a modicum of privacy online, but the fact is that you don't. I've passworded and friended absolutely everything, and even so, I rarely write anything particularly personal on here. My mum always has been a hell of a lot more tech-savvy than me, and likely always will be.
But I've digressed horribly.
The thing is that I firmly believe that if one blogs online, it's fair game.
But this particular news story seems unfair to me.
And yes, I realise it is futile and clicheed to rant about the 'evil' of newsmedia. But it seems immoral to me to search out what was so clearly intended to be a private profile, and publish it to the masses. Now anyone of thousands of Vancouverites on Facebook can go and see her photos, discussions with friends, interests, and other personal information that surely the deceased never intended to become public domain. Yes, you have the ability to search facebook for article subjects. Yes, some of them may have neglected to lock their profiles. But is it really necessary to open such a large window into the life of this poor girl?
I may continue this rant later, but I doubt it.