Socializing Online

Socializing Online

People use the internet for many things and a main use for the internet is communication. As a child who grow up in the transition of the internet becoming a phenomenon I heard a lot of the hype vs hysteria of the internet. With shows like how to catch a predator on mainstream TV my parent were very weary of me being on the internet especially when I was in middle school. As a middle school student you weren’t cool if you didn’t have a Myspace so I got one. Everything on there was fake; my address, my age, and the school I went to, except for my picture and the things I was interested in. I did that because I didn’t want to predators to come and find me or contact me.  By doing that I gave into the hysteria my parents were beating into my head about the dangers of the internet. A lot of people are into the disembodiment of the internet remain anonymous and try to get little girls like myself who want to be cool and be on Myspace.

  The other side that would be the successful relationships people have made on social networks like Tumblr and being able to keep in touch with certain people through Facebook. In 2002 the study about online dating revealed that 50% of people online dating moved their relationship to face to face and were successful. Going online is all about trust and dating online is literally a leap of faith you have to just try it and trust your gut about a lot of decisions you make. Socializing online creates opportunity where previously there was none and helps you make connections with people you would have never guessed you would meet. It’s up you to make good discretion about what you allow to be known information and hidden information. It may not be for everyone but if you try it you never know who you could meet.