There Is Nothing Private On The Internet

I sometimes have a feeling that people are surprised I don't share many personal details on my blog. After all, most women's (and some men's) blogs are all about them, complete with pictures of their children and detailed stories about their love life. This desire to bare one's soul to complete strangers probably started with talk shows, however, there is one difference between TV and the internet. Namely, the internet is interactive, which means that you are bound to get a lot of feedback, and not all of it positive.

I'm always amazed as to what sort of thing people are posting about themselves. Look, there is nothing private on the net, unless you have a private blog/account. Even if you leave a comment as anonymous, the server will register your IP address and unless it's a public library, it's relatively easy to figure out who you are and where you live or work, and even in the case of a public facility, it's still possible to find out who is the poster, that's why it's really unwise or should I say retarded, to post death threats or advertise any illegal activities.

It's even worse when you set up an account on a public forum, open to anyone, have a public blog or write articles for gossip sites, discussing your private life, as so many women do, and then under your own name. That's why I don't care for having a Facebook account. I have always been a rather private person and I simply can't fathom sharing intimate details of my life with people I don't even know.

There are certainly plenty of men doing the same mistake, but women seem to be especially prone to it, but they usually get very upset if the details they so eagerly shared with others, become the subject of less-than-savoury discussions. Victorians have been criticised for being stuck-up reserved prudes because they refused to discuss certain things in public, but there is definitely something to say in their defence.

Nowadays people have an idea they should discuss everything in public. Heck, I've seen women posting pictures of themselves  in child birth. What next? Selfies of oneself while using the bathroom? Is there no limit to attention whoring? The same girl who posts provocative pictures then has the cheek to turn around and accuse the commenters of having dirty thoughts. Apparently, it's OK to advertise but not to react to advertising.

I keep reading on some blogs that Western IQ's are in decline and honestly I start believing it as so many people seem to be totally unable to see the consequences of their own actions. Look, it's really simple. If you don't want people discussing your private info, then don't post it on a public forum. The net is full of all sorts of people, and some of them could be perverts and criminals. Protect your privacy, and especially that of your innocent children, who didn't consent to their pictures being spread all over the internet.

Lydia Sherman had a post on her blog about refined speech. She approached the topic from a slightly different angle, that of public decency and not of privacy, but her overall points are very good.

She wrote, among other things:
Avoid talk about personal bodily functions. Even discussing your digestive tract can be a problem when other ladies just want to have polite, cheerful, uplifting conversation. Keep your monthly cycle totally private and never mention it in a sewing circle or a ladies Bible Class (here I must point out that ít's even worse to discuss it with men on the interwebz forums, while posing as a traditional Christian wife)...Do not talk about the details of your family finances to anyone outside of the family...

How much more important is to follow this rule while posting on the internet!