the internet and me

Growing up online is a PBS production documentary about how the internet has affected children today. Some of these children post pictures of themselves, chat, and hate it when their parents try to intrude on what they are doing. Some of these pictures are erotic. A girl had taken a picture of herself in underwear and sent it to her boyfriend. A one Jessica had posted pictures of herself in model poses under the false name of Autumn Edows. Her parents found out and she had to take them down. “I stood behind her and watched her delete every last one of them,” said her father. Jessica was devastated. The friend she had acquired disappeared. Everyone at school hated her even more and called her things like “slut” and “whore.” One kid even killed himself due to this “cyber bullying.” Some parents get on their child’s case about being careful when in chat rooms. The parents’ biggest fear is that someone will stalk them through the internet. Parents try very hard to protect their children from danger on the internet. However, the children don’t want the protection. They want privacy.
The internet has affected me very much as I have grown up. I never had to go to the library and look in an encyclopedia. I would just look it up the internet. The internet has also spoiled me. When I moved up here, I went from lightning fast cable to snail-paced satellite. I hated then. I hate it now. One thing the internet has really helped me with is picking up my social life. Before I really got into the internet I was the geeky trekkie that was picked on by everyone. I then got into facebook and then it gradually stopped. It took me a while, but became more outgoing. I actually talked to people with some confidence. The reason I think the internet had a major part in this is because I just jumped right into facebook when I discovered it. I shared photos, thoughts, and interests. After all that, I didn’t have to hear people make fun of me. It really help me express myself. This boosted my self-esteem and confidence through the roof. Because of this boost, I was able to make friends easier than before. My interests also changed. I used to really like folk music and classic rock only. I would refuse to listen to anything else. I now like just about any genre. My career interests have changed since the internet. I wanted to be a jet pilot. Now because of my interactions on the internet, I am working to be a United States Navy lawyer. Without the internet, I would have never considered studying law. I would have never found that interest. I would have never found out how much a lawyer could potentially make in a year. Without the internet, I would still be a Star Trek loving geek with almost nothing to lose. The internet has turned me into a respectable person.