Well, finally, I'm back. Yes, after weeks of waiting, I'm finally updating this page, YEA!!! Why the wait, you may ask? Well, suffice it to say that my computer was conspiring against me, and after much searching I eventually discovered that I had to re-format the hard drive. *sigh* In any case I'm here now! And the topic today is (surprise) technology! More specifically, the Internet et al.
Ah, yes, the illustrious Internet. Often the target of much controversy and slander, yet constantly an object of great interest and fascination. There are many facets to this cyber-medium, including e-mail, IRC, and the world wide web. All three of which I embrace whole-heartedly. I love the Internet, and I'm getting really sick and tired of hearing all the bad press it's recieving.
I'm not going to beat to death the issue of free speech online, because I've already done that in my essay, Censorship and the Internet. No, what I'd like to write about is IRC, e-mail, and my mother.
If you've been paying any attention to the media lately then you've undoubtedly seen headlines like "14-year-old Raped by Internet Boyfriend", "E-mail Stalker Murders Teenage Girl", "Cyber-sex Ruined my Life", and "Make Your Children Safe from Online Perverts".
My mom is constantly reading and watching this kind of stuff, and she loves to tell me about it. It got worse two weeks ago when an acquaintance told my mom her daughter's experience with the internet. Apparently her daughter got involved with some guy online and when she went to meet him he turned out to be a pimp and a druglord who then turned the girl into a prostitute. So now, my mother is terrified to let me meet internet friends in real person for fear that my life would be in danger somehow. And it's not like my mom's the only person in the world who feels like this.
More and more there seems to be this paranoid fear about the internet and cyber-communication. Sure, there are all kinds of weirdos online, but then, there are all kinds of weirdos everywhere else too. I guess the whole anonymous thing must be getting to people. Afterall, if they can lie about who they really are OL, what's stopping others from doing the same?
And how come we never hear of positive cyber-relationships? How about me and Rosanna? Or Moonwater and Raindrop, my two Wiccan friends who I met after months of searching for local Pagans? What about Abraxas O'Gaia, Shea, and VampGirl01? Or Cleome who so generously sent me my first and favourite book a la Witchcraft, "The Spiral Dance" by Starhawk? I'm not mentioning nearly a dozen other net-friends, but you all know who you are *big hugs*. These are just the first ones that came to mind. There's also GypsyWitch and NightCorbie who were handfasted online and are planning to be handfasted IRL in May. And those are only my examples...
The internet is no more dangerous that the real world, no more, no less. Keep that in mind, use the proper precautions when meeting new net friends IRL, and you'll be just fine. The world's a dangerous place most of the time, but it doesn't have to be if you're careful and use your head. Besides, living alone and in fear all the time causes some nasty ulcers. I remain,
apocrypha
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