Tutorial Two- Part 2

Some things to consider...

1. How long have you been using these communication technologies?

Ever since my early high school years (when I was 12 years old), making it 10 years ago, I started using MSN instant messenger to connect with friends socially. I also had my first mobile phone when I was this age to communicate with friends via calls and sms.

2. What influenced you to start using these particular technologies? How did you find out about them?

I started using these communication technologies because my friends were using them and because they were very prevalent and accepted within society, especially among the age group I was in.

3. Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies? What do you think of companies like Facebook and Google who collect information about their users? (How do you deal with issues around privacy?)

Privacy is very important to me when using websites such as Facebook and Google. I would
never disclose certain personal information on these websites. I think caution needs to be applied when using these websites.

4. Do you have friends whom you know only from the internet and have never met in person? Is this different to people that you know in person? Describe the difference.

No, I never add a friend that I don’t know to social networking websites. I think this is risky and I try to avoid it. I think meeting someone over the internet is very different to meeting someone in person, because different social skills are required. I believe that if you are meeting someone over the internet, the requirement and practice of social skills is decreased, compared to the requirement and practice of these skills when meeting someone in person. Secondly, when you meet someone face to face, you can be certain you know the person who you are meeting (even if it is only vaguely, such as their correct gender!) however when meeting someone over the internet, a certain level of caution needs to be involved as there is no certainty that you are speaking/chatting to the person you thought you were. I think meeting someone over the internet is an accepted practise in society today because of the new level of technology (you can video conference etc.), which makes everything a little bit safer, however wariness and vigilance still need to be practised.