Online identity and privacy.

After reading other peoples posts it really made me think about the issue of online identity.

On the one hand, online identity brings such an air of negativity, as it is so easy to fake the person you are, pretend to be someone else and hide your true self. There are always numerous reports of how people trick others into thinking they are someone else, and by the time their true identity is revealed, it's too late. Although social networking sites such as facebook, bebo and myspace are brillinat for keeping in contact with friends and family and a way of communicating, there are many issues which arise with them

The internet = big brother?
I also think the internet acts as a 'big brother' more than ever these days. It's so easy to stalk and spy on people by looking at their social networking page or searching for their name on google. For example, so many people have lost jobs because of what their bosses have seen or read on their profile page. I think this is a bad thing, as its almost like we have zero privacy, and what you post on the internet is like treading on glass - it can really damage you.

Saying this, the 'big brother' effect can be good! It can help. For example, a shop in the company I work for at home was ram-raided before christmas and thousands of pounds worth of fragrances were stolen, and there was no cctv footage or evidence over who broke in. A few weeks later, the boss of the store was linked to a facebook profile of locals from the town, selling fragrances on the cheap. The stuff they were selling matched the ones which were stolen from the shop, and the dates of the break in and profile matched up. Although this is just one example, it does show that the non privacy of the internet can work out to be good.