Privacy isn’t real when it comes to the Internet

Privacy isn’t real. It never has been real. While growing up, your parents dictated what you could and couldn’t do. They had the right to remove your bedroom door. You weren’t allowed to be in a room by yourself with the opposite sex. They were allowed to shoulder surf when you were online. Having privacy in school was even more non-exisistant. So why does it come to a shock when we are told that privacy doesn’t exist when it comes to the Internet?

I try to keep the mindset of my Facebook privacy pretty simple; if my grandma or my preacher would not like what is on my wall, then I’m not going to post it or be tagged in it. I also like to keep my Facebook posts pretty positive. I don’t have statuses that read, “My life sucks,” or, “If only he would like me.” Those seem really immature, but I’m getting off topic. They are more like updated on what is going on in my life. Recently I posted a picture of my nephew and I because it was his birthday. I don’t want a post to keep me from getting a job or losing a friendship. 

I like to think that if someone I didn’t know saw my profile and wanted to know things about me then they should have a pretty difficult time doing so. I don’t know them. They don’t know me. Sure, you can see my picture and the basics about myself, but other than that…nope. My profile is “private,” as much as possible anyway. I’ve even reported my mom for posting a picture I didn’t say was okay.  

I think it is extremely wrong for companies not to come out and say they are taking my personal information from my web browser and selling them. I actually appreciated that in the article, “Your Wireless Carrier Probably Is Selling Your Personal Information–But Does it Matter,” they said that Verizon Wireless owned up to selling their customers information. I am a Verizon Wireless customer. It’s messed up that they sold that information before they told me but at least now I know. However, I do think that these companies need to be more upfront about the agreements their customers are signing their lives away to. 

I honestly don’t think the government would let things escalate to an outrageous level. However, I am surprised all the time with the things they allow. I wouldn’t mind paying for Internet just to have my personal information safe. It’s concerning though how much information these companies are able to accumulate about people without their knowing so. Something needs to be done. 

There needs to be a more creative way to advertise that doesn’t resort to practically stealing personal information. Privacy doesn’t exist on the int

I suck at video games

I am terrible at playing video games. I wear contacts so if I don’t blink for a long time then they get dry. Well, I concentrate too hard on the game and end up not being able to see. Therefore , when I went to friends’ houses to play Guitar Hero, you could count me out because I was just so terrible at it.

Even though I’m awful at video games, I grew up playing on a (what I believe to be a very classic) Super Nintendo with game cartridges. I didn’t get an upgrade until a Nintendo GameCube and even then I barely played. A couple of years ago my mom got me a Wii and it’s packed away for special events only or when I feel like playing JustDance. Even after Xbox and Playstation came out and all of the hype was about Call of Duty or Halo, I was not interested.

In high school, I would watch my ex-boyfriend and his brothers play for hours. They let me play once, and after 20 minutes of playing Call of Duty I had one kill. I’m pathetic. However, for them, they found so much enjoyment out of it. It gave them inside jokes and things to talk about. It was a fun way for them to relax at the end of day or middle of the day. The Uses and Gratifications theory applies directly to my friends who use video games as a form of entertainment. The more playtime they put into the video game, then the more results they see. I can’t say how many times I’ve heard, “I’m stuck on this level.” Then once they beat that section it was like they won the lottery. I could find just as much enjoyment out of sleeping all day, going hiking, or shopping.

My dad is really bad about getting sucked into video games for too long. Instead of using his time to his advantage, he is displacing it with (what I think is useless) video games. I think its great that people find so much enjoyment, but there are people who don’t know what sunlight is anymore due to the fact that a new awesome video game came out and they can’t leave it until they beat it entirely. Read the article in the link about kids spending WAY too much time on video games. It’s absurd.

http://www.livescience.com/22281-teens-video-games-health-risks.html

If video games disappeared then technology would not be where it is today. We wouldn’t have the app Angry Birds or the cool effects that movies have today. To me, video games are important in that aspect. The visual effects keep getting better with every upgrade that is made. It’s a growing market and is only improving with time.