I enjoyed this reading very much. I've always had thoughts and been in awe of how far technology and the internet has come in the short time of its existence, especially when you consider the length of time that we as humans have existed. I liked that the reading addressed the fact that, at the end of the day, humans were the ones who created technology and the internet and therefore it is inherently vulnerable to human error as much as we are- making it not fully liable as a 100% accurate source to get an answer from.
One paragraph I was very intrigued by, despite its brevity, was:
"What has identity become, now that our social selves are laid bare online? How is identity established within the form-fields of Facebook? Our connections are tagged and bound to our profiles. These digital networks have not only transformed our societal structure, they have also re-shaped our internal selves."
It's always struck me that, in the past, people who wanted to record their lives would have to do so through journals, diaries, and extensive writing or biographies. We now live in a world where, if nothing gets deleted, we can theoretically record our entire lives, connections, friends, and memories at the simple click of a button. One day even my kids could go back and look at conversations I had with my friends on Facebook in 8th grade; I don't even know the what school my dad went to in 8th grade.
Its a great feature to have, but it can also have a dark side. What if you didn't want people to know your past? Will there ever be a time where its impossible to start anew? where every mistake or grievance follows you for the rest of your life? We intergrate our lives more and more with technology each day, and if the day does come, I hope it comes later rather than sooner.
reading: http://idyrself.com
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