Internet Permanence

I spent what felt like far too long deciding what the topic of this blog post would be. For some reason, knowing that this assignment would be published online caused me to treat it differently from other writing assignments. That isn’t to say I put less effort into the other assignments, but after handing in a paper assignment, I’m free to delete the digital copy and destroy the physical. This assignment, however, will essentially remain forever, and even associated with my name.

I started to wonder how far back my internet activities were recorded. Recalling that my first interaction with the internet was in 2005 or so, I revisited the websites I used to frequent. Sure enough, my account on a popular Pokemon forum still exists, along with everything I’ve ever written since I joined in January 2006. I learned things about my 12-year-old self that I had long forgotten, such as my short-lived interest in spriting, the products of which are also still available on Photobucket (although not the ones I uploaded to Imageshack). The private forum my online friends and I created for our video game alliance still exists; its predecessor, however, which had been abandoned after a mutiny against the leader, has been lost to time.

Now I’m much more cognizant of the permanence of the Internet. Fortunately my 12-year-old writings were largely innocent, but of course some were embarrassing. Some content escapes archival, like my previously-mention forum, but as a general rule, the Internet never forgets. This has important implications for children who have grown up with the Internet. Prior to the advent of the Internet, childhood opinions were quickly forgotten, and the only reminder of our mistakes was that one who relative who will never let you live down that ridiculous hairdo you had in high school. Now, the Internet is that relative.

Of course, everyone has had skeletons in the closet. Every politician has done something career-ruining at one point, but until now, there was no record of it. This point in time is the most dangerous because it’s a transitional period. People now have a host of new information at their disposal with no standard for how to use it. People are not held responsible for their actions as an infant or toddler; it isn’t until we enter “adulthood” that our actions become our own. This adulthood is not defined by law, but by society. Currently, a generation of children that has grown up with the Internet is entering a world where the majority of people have not. Generations from now, when everyone’s past is publicly available, the age at which we become accountable for our actions may be pushed forward. If everyone’s embarrassing teenage opinions and images are available online, it won’t necessarily raise any red flags. Mistakes that everyone make are easy to forgive. Childhood mistakes might be viewed as a product of their time, in the same way older generations’ opinions on issues of race or gender must be viewed in context of their time. However, until then, when all information on all generations is equally available, it would be wise to carefully consider the consequences of content posted to the Internet.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/eric-schmidt/10080596/Hay-Festival-2013-Teenagers-mistakes-will-stay-with-them-forever-warns-Google-chief-Eric-Schmidt.html