Monday, November 14, 2005
My Space
I'm not a big online stalker. Honest. I may blog, but my Facebook account is rarely used, my AIM life quiet, and my use of the Internet for any social-life replacement non-existant.
But even I have been taken by surprise by this newest door on the Internet. Many of you may have read this news story, about two parents murdered by a 14 year-old's 18 year-old boyfriend, and their subsequent flight and capture by police. Most people would check their news sources, and consider the story over.
But I learned a new tactic. The news (and the newsmakers) often have another face. Just yesterday, they lived lives like you and I. And like us (or at least me) their regular life may be scattered across the internet. So today's celebrity may have been just another cliquee in school yesterday. And with a simple Googlesearch, that life can be entered by anyone looking to step beyond the mass media.
For example, today's parental murderers have regular accounts on the website MySpace, a website which allows users to share something about themselves with their friends, and anyone who happens to be curious about them. And if you become a murder suspect, many people become curious. The young girl's site offers a peak into a typical life that won't return for this girl. The young man's site has become a virtual bathroom wall, as it has become a focal spot for those that hadn't known his name yesterday to banter with him anonymously today. A curious twist on the Internet, indeed. Just be careful who your "friends" are.
Now let's just hope you're not visiting my blog because you've seen my name in the Police Blotter.
But even I have been taken by surprise by this newest door on the Internet. Many of you may have read this news story, about two parents murdered by a 14 year-old's 18 year-old boyfriend, and their subsequent flight and capture by police. Most people would check their news sources, and consider the story over.
But I learned a new tactic. The news (and the newsmakers) often have another face. Just yesterday, they lived lives like you and I. And like us (or at least me) their regular life may be scattered across the internet. So today's celebrity may have been just another cliquee in school yesterday. And with a simple Googlesearch, that life can be entered by anyone looking to step beyond the mass media.
For example, today's parental murderers have regular accounts on the website MySpace, a website which allows users to share something about themselves with their friends, and anyone who happens to be curious about them. And if you become a murder suspect, many people become curious. The young girl's site offers a peak into a typical life that won't return for this girl. The young man's site has become a virtual bathroom wall, as it has become a focal spot for those that hadn't known his name yesterday to banter with him anonymously today. A curious twist on the Internet, indeed. Just be careful who your "friends" are.
Now let's just hope you're not visiting my blog because you've seen my name in the Police Blotter.
# posted by Josh : Monday, November 14, 2005
