The Internet is Forever
By Yuki
@yukimori (10142)
United States
December 7, 2016 10:19am CST
Do you think about that when you post online? Social media is ubiquitous these days, but it seems like information control hasn't really caught up to the widespread use of platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
We share everything... hopes and dreams, what we had for dinner, silly things the kids and pets have done, and other more intimately personal details too. Each post is a piece of the public persona we show to the world through our accounts. And once a post is out there, it's out of our control. We can delete it, but it might not be soon enough to keep another site from caching it... or stop anyone who reads it from pressing the screenshot button and saving a copy for later.
Sometimes those caches and screenshots can be a blessing. Other times, they come back to haunt a person when they least expect them. Being able to delete things with just a few clicks can give us a deceptive feeling of control when it comes to the things we say online. Sometimes the true test of personal control is being able to filter things before we hit the post button... perhaps that should be a skill that we teach kids in school. 
19 people like this
17 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
7 Dec 16
Backups, way back engines, archives... I think that it is from one of your discussions that I learned that some old data had been hacked at Clixsense and were circulating on the web. Surprise, I had not logged in since more than five years and my data were available. A cloud storage site asked me this summer to change my password because... my account had been perhaps hacked in 2012, but everybody knows that cloud storage is very safe
. I read a few months ago about someone fired... to have recommended a movie to some coworkers by... email, using his own computer and a personal email. Nothing is really confidential today, and even less in a public forum like myLot. To be safe, we have to be wise monkeys.
. I read a few months ago about someone fired... to have recommended a movie to some coworkers by... email, using his own computer and a personal email. Nothing is really confidential today, and even less in a public forum like myLot. To be safe, we have to be wise monkeys.4 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Dec 16
@hereandthere I understand now. It was already possible to be sent to a discussion by a search engine last year, but not to browse discussions.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
8 Dec 16
last year, when you typed 'mylot' on a search engine, you get a green page, whether you're a member or not. not anymore.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (205554)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Dec 16
@hereandthere What dos that mean?
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
7 Dec 16
I never say anything online that I would not say to someone's face and I never say or post anything that I would not mind my children seeing. I have heard so many horror stories about things coming back on people ruining their lives and even losing their jobs! The internet is not anonymous, anyone can find you. I'm very careful not to reveal my true name and careful about personal details I divulge, too. People become too comfortable with the internet but it's like living in a glass house--everyone can see you!
@yukimori (10142)
• United States
7 Dec 16
Now that's a name I haven't seen active here in ages! 
Welcome back! 
I've gotten a bit more lax about sharing some things, but I still follow the same basic steps you outlined. A few here know my real name, and I've posted a bit about my location on occasion. That's about it.
Sometimes we get way too comfortable with the fact that we're sitting at home behind our computers when we post online. It's easy to forget how big the audience really is!
Welcome back!
I've gotten a bit more lax about sharing some things, but I still follow the same basic steps you outlined. A few here know my real name, and I've posted a bit about my location on occasion. That's about it.
Sometimes we get way too comfortable with the fact that we're sitting at home behind our computers when we post online. It's easy to forget how big the audience really is!3 people like this
@rebelann (111124)
• El Paso, Texas
7 Dec 16
I don't think everyone is into the social internet scene. Most of my real world friends do not go online ever, I actually have to call them on the phone or physically go visit them, I'm the only techy minded of the bunch and I'm not even that techy.
I think kids miss out on a lot of real world lessons that computers can't teach. Most aren't even capable of socializing when they are out and about with their parents, they're all glued to cell phones or whatnot playing games ..... what happens when they finally have to get jobs and actually interact with others?
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
8 Dec 16
yes, i see it with my nieces and nephews
1 person likes this
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
5 Jan 17
Murder (as long as it is only an occasional one) passes a lot easier than those snow pea incidents ... or so I have heard from others anyway.
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10142)
• United States
5 Jan 17
I'd already forgotten about most of the aforementioned incidents that have been posted here, so I suppose you're right!
@purplealabaster Don't forget, snow peas are serious business... especially where my kids are concerned. They had an all-out brawl over them once. 
@purplealabaster Don't forget, snow peas are serious business... especially where my kids are concerned. They had an all-out brawl over them once. 2 people like this
@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
7 Dec 16
I've said loads of things I regret
I've learned my lesson now
I've learned my lesson now3 people like this
@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
7 Dec 16
If I was really worried stuff online could damage me I'd hire one of those reputation defender companies that find everything possible to find and remove it.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (205554)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 Dec 16
@Mike197602 I would cease to exist on the internet. Heh.
2 people like this
@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
7 Dec 16
@yukimori they do.
I sort of used to work for one.
Some get rid of stuff you aren't supposed to be able to get rid of
...but you pay A LOT
I'm talking more about naughty pics on a site in somewhere like russia rather than info on sites in states that follow international law.
...but you pay A LOT
I'm talking more about naughty pics on a site in somewhere like russia rather than info on sites in states that follow international law.2 people like this
@rusty2rusty (6751)
• Defiance, Ohio
18 Dec 16
I don't share everything. i never have. Plus I am in the middle of getting a dissolution. One of the things agreed upon is nothing can be said bad or done against the other. Biting My tongue, which I am used too.
@celticeagle (158876)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Dec 16
I don't figure that anything I say about my lifestyle or activities here are going to hurt me any. It's my person infor such as SS#, real name, etc. that could get me into trouble.
1 person likes this
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
5 Jan 17
I try to edit and filter what I say online, because I am a private person. It shocks me how much people reveal online without thinking about the consequences of revealing said information. Then again, there are times when I reveal more than I intend to, even being careful, just because I am so comfortable and feel so connected to and familiar with certain people.
1 person likes this
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
5 Jan 17
@yukimori LOL - I don't feel the need to share every little detail of my life with the people I live with and those closest to me, so I certainly do not feel that need to share with strangers.
"The ones that really amuse me, though, are the ones who get upset when someone comments honestly on something that they posted." That is another good reason why I don't choose to share certain things. I know that once shared, people can and will comment on them. If I do not want to hear negative comments or opposing ideas and opinions, then I will not share. I don't think that I am overly sensitive in general, but there are certain things that I am very sensitive about, so I try to avoid opening myself up to any hurt or negativity in those areas.
Sometimes I think people believe that the word "friend" is synonymous with "someone who agrees with everything I say", so they think that they can post anything they want and will only receive positive feedback. This clearly is not the case, though. In fact, I think that the best friends are ones who you can disagree with and still remain close.
"The ones that really amuse me, though, are the ones who get upset when someone comments honestly on something that they posted." That is another good reason why I don't choose to share certain things. I know that once shared, people can and will comment on them. If I do not want to hear negative comments or opposing ideas and opinions, then I will not share. I don't think that I am overly sensitive in general, but there are certain things that I am very sensitive about, so I try to avoid opening myself up to any hurt or negativity in those areas.
Sometimes I think people believe that the word "friend" is synonymous with "someone who agrees with everything I say", so they think that they can post anything they want and will only receive positive feedback. This clearly is not the case, though. In fact, I think that the best friends are ones who you can disagree with and still remain close.1 person likes this
@yukimori (10142)
• United States
5 Jan 17
@purplealabaster I always thought a true friend was the one who'd tell you exactly how wrong you were when you decided to do something stupid...
It does seem like society today is too focused on positive feedback rather than constructive criticism, even when the positive feedback isn't deserved at all. 
It does seem like society today is too focused on positive feedback rather than constructive criticism, even when the positive feedback isn't deserved at all. 1 person likes this
@yukimori (10142)
• United States
5 Jan 17
Yeah, I personally don't get the desire to share every little detail of one's life online.
The ones that really amuse me, though, are the ones who get upset when someone comments honestly on something that they posted. Do they not realize that they're sharing on a public forum and they can't dictate what other people's responses will be? 
1 person likes this
@Hate2Iron (15730)
• Canada
25 Dec 16
I always re-read and then think about what I have just shared before I hit the "post' button
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
8 Dec 16
it seems that they also forward/share anything and everything of their friend's without asking or thinking of the consequences
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
5 Jan 17
It's a good point. What you're putting out there is public and shows people who you are
@amitkokiladitya (171936)
• Agra, India
7 Dec 16
Social media is a platform that has qmade our lives easy...but everything has sine boundaries and limits. Crossing those boundaries can be really harmful
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
8 Dec 16
Internet is a part of me or may be I am a part of Internet. It shall stay that way for keeps.
@crossbones27 (48417)
• Mojave, California
17 Dec 16
Please do not make me any more paranoid than I already am. That being said, I said screw it a long time ago. Figured this is what it must be like to be famous. Wish the money came with it though. lol
