Instant Communication - Good or Bad?

For a long time now, I have wanted to comment on My Space and Facebook.

We have just been through a court case which was probably not decided to the satisfaction of too many people. I am speaking of the mother who created a boyfriend for an acquaintance of her daughter. The girl committed suicide as a result of the "boyfriend" not being truly interested in her.

Kathleen Parker addresses some of the valid concerns today about the "Information Highway" in her column. Ms. Parker is with The Washington Post Writers Group and her column is good reading.

Remember the song about Two Silhouettes On The Shade? That was about as bold as people got back in the 50s and 60s. Yes, we did some things we'd rather forget, but we did not put them up on a screen that could be viewed around the world by people who knew us and those who did not.

If you have never looked at My Space or Facebook, perhaps it is time you did. The only thing worse than people doing stupid or rotten things is people who have no clue what is going on in the world.

The concept of My Space and Facebook as "networking" has potential. I have a Facebook page but you have to request to be able to view it. So, I can let you in, or I can refuse you.

I opened my page about two days after creating it, to see some "potty-mouth" remarks by a younger person. I found I could block that person. So I did. (Understand that on Facebook, you can see remarks made by others to others, not just to you.)

Alternately, I enjoy seeing what my niece in Halifax is doing and can get quickly caught up on what my contemporaries are doing here at home without a half-hour phone conversation. So, it has the potential to be a time-saver.

On My Space, you can have a private or public page. On a private page, you can see the person's photo, and a few comments which could be pleasant or not. So, a person on My Space is not protected from themselves even on a private page.

(Yes, I know there are also blogs where people are presenting themselves less than best also.)

If you really want the entire world - or at least that part of it who will be interested enough in you to open your page - to know just a little more about you that they care to know - these are the places for you. What is the reason so many people no longer want to present themselves in a good light? Why would a person want anyone who has access to a computer to know that they drank too much, did drugs, etc. etc.?

When we turn on the evening news, we can readily see where the under 30s are getting their take on society. It is time politicians became accountable in every way. (The Illinois Governor should have already resigned.)

Athletes (who are being given enormous sums of money for sometimes very average performances) should be role models for young people. Some of these people can barely utter an intelligible sentence. There is no excuse for them constantly ending up in jails for an evening's stay.

We still have the "Big Three" executives in front of us, hoping for taxpayers/government to help them out. These people have gone way beyond the American Dream of a house with a picket fence, a wife, two children and a vehicle in the driveway. The Greatest Generation taught us most of the lessons we need to know to have a happy and prosperous life. Did anybody listen?

Right now - today - we need more than ever to value the lifestyles of the ordinary people who honestly are trying to provide the necessities for their families and hopefully, higher education for their children.

We need to take a look at some "ordinary people" and place them on pedestals for all to see as prototypes for the good life.