The luxury of ascertaining information is something that we as humans yearn for. At the same token, the preservation of some of those same items of information is something we would equally, if not more ardently, maintain. However, certain outlets that consume much of our time and energy can actually defame our personal lives. Facebook, AIM and of course e-mail are very popular outlets for social networking. If we do not play our cards right, we could actually weave a bigger web than we actually intend to.”I’m going to delete my Facebook.” We scoff at these people and simultaneously commend them for their energies. But this is actually easier said than done. First of all, Facebook keeps us in tune with the rest of the universe, a.k.a. West Chester University– sadly enough. Here, we receive invitations to University events, unnecessary and innocuous groups asking us to be vampires and other fantastic beings and we can even partake in the superfluous craze of News Feed. But deleting our Facebooks is also easier said than done because our information is never truly deleted after we click “deactivate.” According to a Feb. 13 article written in The New York Times, several people have contacted Facebook after they have decactivated their accounts to alert them of the fact that it still exists. The 13,922 people who are a part of the West Chester network are actually all at risk for this. Assessing the word now, “deactivate” implies the possibility of being able to “reactivate.” Second, AOL instant messenger actually has some versions where a conversation can resume from days after it has taken place. Why is it saved? So we can pick up where we left off? Lastly, be mindful of your language in e-mails. Deleting e-mails after they are sent, as we are aware in the WCU network, requires a process of officially emptying deleted items. But, once again, those e-mails are saved somewhere.
Be selective about the information you volunteer to place on the Internet. If you choose to delete your Facebook, delete every entry that requires information. Then, deactivate your account so you are essentially deactivating an account devoid of information. Another solution is to be more assertive with friends as to which pictures you would like to be tagged in or even present on Facebook. Just because your name is not present in the caption does not mean that your identity is concealed from future employers or colleagues. The Internet can house the most minute items of information-it can even keep track of your bank accounts. Sometimes this can do more harm than good. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act prohibits that any kind of communication either done through wires or internet cannot be intercepted. The mediums we use–Facebook, AIM and e-mail– are not ensured by this Act. Therefore, we do not have the law on our sides. The only protection we can assure is our own choices done in front of the computer screen.
The Quad is an advocate of accessing factual and effective information. As journalists, we strive to uphold the truth and reject libelous items. So it is with this responsibility that we inform the public on the dangers of releasing information that can have indelible effects. It takes one second to make a choice on expressing the written word, but more than a lifetime to reverse it.
Be your own historian.