I have never met hip-hop artist Fabolous. I do not know his family, friends, or any of his associates — but I do know where he lives thanks to Twitter and its GPS locator.
Since the creation of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, privacy has antiquated much like typewriters and Windows DOS.
It is difficult to understand why people have an infatuation with being mini-celebrities. Some people tweet their entire lives for others to view and dissect. It’s not uncommon to see couples that have online relationships and arguments via Facebook.
Pardon me for being the voice of reason, but this has to stop.
Social media platforms are useful, but at the same time, dangerous. I can only imagine how many stalkers and deviants are logging your every move because you thought it was fun to tweet your exact location and attach a picture with your outfit for the evening.
Another tool for the social network addict is Foursquare, which encourages users to check-in at different locations and share it with their friends. Now it’s hip to let any stranger on the street know where people hang out. I do not see the rationale.
Common sense apparently is not common any more.
For example, I have a friend who said he was sick and was staying in on a Friday night. A few hours later all of his tires were flat and his windows were broke out. Apparently, he updated his Twitter saying he was, “out and about,” and his girlfriend located him with GPS.
Besides being naïve, dishonest, and parking in a dark area, he did what many people do: he made his life open to the entire public on the Internet.
Just because everyone is hooked on doesn’t mean you have to log on and disclose everything.