With our introduction to MySpace, transition to Facebook and the rise of Twitter, internet safety has been preached heavily in previous years. Yet in our current tech savvy age, privacy has been lost, and the risk of sharing information online has been all but forgotten. A smartphone can be found in the pocket of just about every teenager, which allows anyone to tweet and post about anything from the low-fat mocha latte they just got from Starbucks to the school water fountain temperature.
MySpace’s “online now” indicator pales in comparison to Facebook chat’s “read receipts,” which gives us the ability to discern whether messages are being read and ignored or have yet to be read.
Posting pictures is dangerous? What about live-action clips on Cinemagram? With the recent stalker-friendly apps and sites, is it even possible to be safe? We have given up on cyber safety and surrendered to technology’s chokehold.
The release of the iPhone 5, new iOS 6 software for iPhones and overall smart phone takeover make privacy impossible. In an age where parents make Facebook pages for their dogs and babies, we find ourselves wistful for a time when parents monitored their children’s online activity to make sure MySpace was nowhere to be found in the Internet history. This was a simple time, when we had to communicate with people to discover things about them, and some sort of consent was required in order to determine the streets people were roaming or the movie they just saw.
Just because I may object doesn’t mean I’m innocent. I’ve been found guilty of lengthy hashtags, “selfie” snapchats, hours spent choosing an Instagram filter and, of course, Facebook “stalking” friends.
As for a solution to this technology-fueled madness, I have started turning off my phone for hours at a time and finding more valuable ways to spend my time like taking walks or reading (a marvel concept!) Once you get through the initial empty feeling and worries of missing some big news during that one hour of “phonelessness,” total relaxation can commence. I suggest all of you try this for at least an hour a day; the feeling is unbelievably peaceful. For those who can’t just quit, here are some apps to avoid:
Creepiest Apps
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5. Twitter
: Facebook statuses on crack. Twitter allows us to let people know what we are thinking and doing at all times. There is nothing subtle about “subtweeting.” I broke up with you a month ago, drop it.
4. Cinemagram
: If you thought Instagram was sketchy, now it moves. Users can upload live-action gifs of their daily endeavors. Why not set up a surveillance camera on your head?
3. Snapchat
: Unlimited friends should be a good thing…right? Snapchat allows you to send and receive uncensored photos from whomever without the courtesy of a reject button. It’s a bit disturbing that an app initially created for “sexting” is now how we share our intimate feelings.
2. Foursquare
: “Check in” wherever you go and take the guessing out of your stalker’s daily routine! Foursquare is practically an invitation to any user to follow your every move and see your exact coordinates upon your updates.
1. Find My Friends
: Out of all the creepy iPhone apps, this one takes the cake. “Find My Friends” allows users to track where other users are at all times. In other news, that one friend that nobody likes is now unavoidable.
