The perils of a Glass Bedroom.

What is the point of maintaining an online presence? Why do we while away our hours recording every minute detail of our lives instead of living them? Why do we establish and carry on friendships online instead of in person? Originally, using the internet for a social stage seemed so convenient but could the world’s favourite pastime be secretly ruining our lives?

As discussed in “All the Wide World Web's a Stage” (Pearson 2009) and further discussed in Dr Leong’s lecture (2011), people’s use of online socialising can often be described as a glass bedroom. That is to say, people open up and reveal details (be it in photo, word or movie form) about themselves that previously would have been considered far too private. I believe that the internet’s format allows glass bedrooms to happen all too frequently, that users are naïve in thinking they are protected and that these two elements can combine to ruin lives.

For example, when applying for a job, and even once you have it, it’s commonplace for employers to scour the internet looking for any trace of your life; and photos from weekends past aren’t going to lend you any favours. Friendships can also be ruined via overactive online socialising. You may have thought your blog whining about your friend’s new boyfriend was a secret between you and the internet, but word of mouth combined with Google are an unbeatable combination. On top of that, being in charge of your own online empire can turn even the nicest of people into a big-headed narcissistic beast, keen to capture every detail of their life sure that their audience can’t survive without it.

Every online networker should therefore think about the bigger picture every time they visit their glass bedroom, because as Pearson says so clearly;  “this disruption of a clear split between…private and public, has ramifications for network formation and interpersonal relationships...” (Pearson, 2009).

REFERENCES:

Leong, Susan. "KCB201 New Media: the Internet, Yourself and Beyond - Week Two Lecture Notes." Accessed March 13, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au 

Pearson, Erika. 2009. "All the World Wide Web's a stage: the Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks" in First Monday, Volume 14, Number 3. Accessed March 10, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?content_id=_3612480_1&displayName=Week+2+Readings&course_id=_74007_1&navItem=content&href=http%3A%2F%2Ffirstmonday.org%2Fhtbin%2Fcgiwrap%2Fbin%2Fojs%2Findex.php%2Ffm%2Farticle%2Fview%2F2162%2F2127.