Webupon

When I was a boy in the 60’s, not many people had telephones. In fact, people on my estate used the public call box at the end of our street. We rented our first television to watch the lunar landing; a tiny black and white set which took minutes to warm up.  There were three stations to choose from and an hour’s break before the news to help mothers get their children to bed. When you arranged to meet a friend, you got there and waited.  Conversation and personal news were passed on mainly by word of mouth.

Today is different

Almost every house has a telephone and most people have mobile phones. Mobiles (cells) can have internet capabilities and texting is now unremarkable and has even developed its own language.

Not only does almost every house have a television, but in some houses every room has one too. They have screens which can be measured in feet and remote controls. As the terrestrial stations disappear we can buy a set top box and have dozens of options or get a cable or satellite connection and pay for hundreds of stations.

I have watched the advent and growth of home computers, the internet and mobile phones with interest. Communication of news is almost immediate now. If you miss the ‘latest’ on the TV you can catch it on your mobile phone or even sit in a café and watch it on broadband on your laptop or blueberry.

On a personal level, meeting a friend is made easier by constant updates on their position. I get shopping lists and news about my children during my working day. Some schools text information to parents rather than trust scatterbrained teenagers with notes to get home. 

Recently I joined a Social Networking site. These massively popular websites come with friendship groups and games which are quite addictive. You can update your status as often as you like. Some folk do this every few minutes.

So, is all this communication a good thing?

I am becoming cautious about how much of Me is ‘out there’. People have stopped asking me how I am, because they already know. Some continue conversations started in an email or in a computer chat forum expecting me to pick up where I left off. Some think they have spoken to you about something when it was someone else they had the conversation with. Others even eavesdrop on my “Wall” and seem to take pleasure in dropping snippets into conversation. 

Not only can you find out where I live, you can also get a detailed aerial photograph of my house. 

Perhaps the answer is obvious. Although I cannot realistically opt out of the modern world, I can take control of what I publish. 

Think before you hit the “Save” button.