Internet surfing is common among us, almost everything can be found from searching a certain subject to playing video games online. The internet was first introduced on January 1, 1983 but did not get that much recognition. But only in 1990 with the invention of WWW (World Wide Web) by computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee it was recognized worldwide.
A few years later, people could use digital identities which are used to show a person's real-life identity via the internet. People these days have digital identity, whether it is from social media, blogs and dating sites. Yet, not even knowing the consequences of it. What is the purpose of writing about you or having a digital identity? Are we safe from writing about ourselves on the internet? Many people believe that showing your identity on the internet is bad. But, is everyone equally aware about the consequences?
There are millions of people, not just limited within a nation but all around the world who have been sharing and expressing their real-life identities on internet platforms. Not that all of them want to, but a few don’t have a choice either. Not all people expose their real-life identities online just because they want to brag about their way of living. Instead, there are multiple reasons that explain why they’ve shared so many personal details on the internet platforms. They could span from employment to political precinct.
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A quick curiosity that might strike your head right now is, ‘How do sharing personal details online help us in the field of employment?’ We all know that this is the 21st century and every task now can be performed through the internet. Writing about what we do and what we are interested or skilled at helps both you and an employer. A lot of employers are in search of efficient employees and it is not always easy to reach them out through advertisements via newspapers or televisions. Whereas doing the same through the internet, helps to make a quick and easy pick for the job as the candidate expresses details about their skills and interests. We can take the platform named “LinkedIn” as an example in the field of employment. So, this is how writing about you on the internet can be advantageous.
Nowadays, it's pretty strenuous to find people who haven’t signed up on a single social media platform on the internet. From children aged 10 to adults and the people in their declining age, it seems that 50% might be social media addicts, while the rest seldom use social media either to communicate with friends and family or update their timelines. Facebook, Instagram and twitter are some of the popular social media platforms which are used by almost everyone who writes about themselves on the internet.
We all know that there are both pros and cons to everything. In the case of employment, not all employees give or are given the right information, which can be disadvantageous to both the employee and the businesses reputation. The biggest consequence that comes with writing about you on the internet is that there might be a chance of getting vulnerable to identity theft. Since some social media sites ask for your name, birthday, hometown and so on so forth. This can happen anywhere and anytime without realising it. This could ruin anyone whoever is the victim. But for the past few years, the rate of identity theft has been decreasing ever so slightly.
The other concerning part about digital identity is that it may lead to cyber bullying. It is another method of bullying a person but this time it is via the internet. Bullying is often done via social media because people find it easier to harass the weaker ones found there unlike other platforms. A Lot of introverts are found in social media, where they are more open in the virtual world rather than in real life. Other than that when a lot of personal information is shared via the social media platforms, people wanting to pull you down will obtain a heads up. They might use your personal information to either harass you or blackmail you. So we’ve to beware of such lawlessness.
So, having both pros and cons to writing about yourself on the internet, you should pay attention to the fact that sharing a lot isn’t very safe and sharing a little isn’t very harmful. You just need to know where to stop. Also suggesting your family and friends the same is what you can do to bring a change.
Lohani is a student studying in grade XI in Budhanilkantha School, Kathmandu.
