13th July, 2010
‘Daddy, who was John Rockefeller?â€
‘The internet is not only for Facebook, Twitter and downloading music. Google itâ€
It is common in the world of celebrities to have stalkers, paparazzi and the lot who have nothing else to do with their time than chase and harass normal people who happen to be in the realm of the public world. Ask Kanye West who attacked a photographer who had been following him and annoying him in the process all in a bid to get a picture he could sell to sites like Bossip, TMZ and Perez Hilton who have made a name from celebrity news. Tiger Woods is the latest victim of sordid internet revelations of his private life. In some cases photographs and videos are doctored to depict celebrities as being involved in various acts of pornography.
The internet has made it easier to gather information. However we must all ask ourselves: “Is that always a good thing?†A discussion with some of my cousins helped me realise that the most vital information that should be kept private is available one click away. Birthdays, places of work, email addresses, telephone numbers are available for all to see. You and I know that when this information falls into the wrong hands it could result in another sad story. Finding out the places where people have been has not been any easier. Going through my Facebook home page and seeing “John Smith is attending Euphoriaâ€is not uncommon the same way reading Ricardo Garciaâ€
It has also become common for children and youths nowadays to watch porn via the internet despite the various restrictions by their parents. Piece of Advice to parents: Donâ€
The internet has also aided breakdown in relationships with people of the opposite sex. It is common in relationships between two people to find one partner cyber stalking the other partner. Cyber stalking refers to the use of the internet or electronic means to stalk someone. This brings with it an air of insecurity and suspicion between partners, indirectly leading to the breakdown of relationships. This is obviously not the main reason for the break down of relationships but it plays a significant role.
Partners are not the only ones guilty of this crime. Parents do it too in order to keep a tab on their children and know what they are doing. The growing number of parents on Facebook is proof. My dad is one of the growing number of parents on Facebook but as far as I know he does not use it primarily to keep tabs on me.( Heâ€
World renowned fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is also famous for his strong dislike of the internet. He is of the view that the internet has affected shopping negatively as he argues that the internet takes the fun in shopping away. This is largely true as I know of people who have bought clothes with sizes described large enough to fit them only to buy them and found out they were unsuitable. As the internet has risen, so has the number of websites dealing in counterfeit products selling them at cheaper prices, thus leaving the original designers at a disadvantage.
The fashion industry is probably not the only industry facing a downward spiral as a result of the internet. The music industry is crying out loud “Save me from the internetâ€. As technology has advanced, it has become common practice for people to snub buying albums, preferring to download them instead. The downside is that this way artistes who put out music that has understandably taken a lot of labour do not reap the fruit. Sites like iTunes, Amazon and HMV which were primarily set up to sell the music released by the artistes digitally and serve as an alternative to purchasing CDs are snubbed for sites like Zshare, Megaupload, Rapidshare and Sharebee where the same music can be found for free. “Why buy what I can get for free?†seems to be the watch word of our serial downloaders.
Hip hop artiste 50 Cent is the most accurate example. In 2003, his first album ‘Get Rich or Die Tryingâ€
The internet has solved a lot of our problems but I would advise people to be more cautious with it. The ugly truth is, at the end of the day, whether you love it or hate it, the internet has permeated daily living that it is amazing, contemplating how we had survived before its advent. Maybe I should Google that as well.
•Idowu Oluwamayowa is a student of Market Rasen De Aston School, UK.