Something I’ve always noticed about the internet is that there seems to be a huge sector of the population that has the mentality that what takes place on-line is not “real life”. And if it’s not real life, I suppose they see it as some kind of fantasy world.
I remember when I first saw a “netiquette”, explaining the expected etiquette to be followed in a particular on-line group, I was astonished that people had to be told these kinds of things. I mean, I know there are people who have no manners no matter where they are, and there are times that people slip up anywhere, but the ‘netiquette’ seems to be a widespread need on-line.
And I then put it together – some people see the internet as a fantasy world, and as such, some of them feel they don’t have to follow societal rules of etiquette that they would in other situations.
Now there seems to be a growing number of people who really seem to believe that if they bring their real life information & opinions onto the internet, that it is automatically protected in some kind of stasis field of fantasy, impervious to, & shielded from, their off-line life.
This mentality is exhibited in Readme: A Blogger’s Disclaimer, where the author of the piece states that web surfers are to, “View weblogs as online journals, no less sacred than a diary hidden between the mattresses… Remember, this is the writer’s outlet.”
The author of this “Readme” seems to be trying to point out to the reader the laws of fantasyland, explaining to the reader the make-believe scenario. It’s like a role playing gamer saying, “Pretend you’re tied.”
Nobody would deny this person’s right to privacy. However, the right to privacy applies to the idea that the government can’t just come into your home & root through your personal journals. Once you publicly publish something, you’ve given up your right to keep that private. You can copyright it, making it illegal for someone to use your material for their own personal monetary gain. But you can’t control whether or not someone criticizes it, or how someone will react to it, or how someone uses it to make decisions that may have an effect on your life.
But some people seem to think they ought to be able to say whatever they choose about anything & anyone, and be impervious to slander suits, angered employers, outraged coworkers, hurt friends, criticism, or even other opinions.
Well, I think I ought to be able to jump off a cliff & fly under my own power. But the fact remains, I’m not a bird.
If you want people to treat your on-line journal (blog, whatever) as they would treat a private diary hidden under a mattress… The strategy is simple: Don’t publish it on the world wide web; Hide it under a mattress.
(Or at least password protect it. Get a friends-only LiveJournal or something.)
Nevertheless, some people are shocked when their fantasy world is invaded by this kind of reality. This confusion is expressed on this site (on the “why” page), where a group of over 200 people have decided to not allow that reality to influence their behaviour. The author of the site states in abhorrant outrage, “People have actually lost their jobs because of the content of their sites or web diaries.” The site goes on to say that they think people in these kinds of predicaments were not allowed their Constitutional rights. ‘Free Speech’ doesn’t work that way. It means that you won’t be punished by the government for the act of speaking your opinions, not that you aren’t responsible for what you say, or that you’re protected from all backlash from all quarters. Often when you work for a company, a stipulation is that you give up your right to share information you are privy to as an employee. Therefore, the right to free speech has been reliquished anyway. The right to free speech certainly doesn’t magically protect you from another person’s reactions which are, possibly secretly, motivated by what you’ve said.
I think the some of the best (and most enjoyable to read) essays on the topic are by Isomorphisms.org
written in November 2001: Perhaps I’ve said too much. 11/22/2001
written in December 2001: The secret, personal, private journal on the world wide web 12/27/2001
written in June 2002: Your weblog is not private: Once again, this time with feeling. 06/09/2002
written in 1997: Danger, Will Robinson: Why You Might Not Want To Keep An Online Journal
Of course I don’t think someone should lose their job at the gas station for their political stand on Social Security. And I think it’s wrong if a student was expelled from school because the student voiced fair criticism of the campus. But clearly there are lines that separate what can be thought in private (fantasy), and what can be said in public (reality). And with less & less anonymity on the internet… I think all of us with personal web sites would be wise to think of our writing on the internet as being, if not a journalist, then a columnist, with at least ourselves to answer for, and taking responsibly for our words & actions.
Disclaimers mean nothing when it comes to the arena of opinions & reactions in social interactions. There’s no way to control that element of life in a society. There are only ways to navigate it sensibly to avoid collision.
“The point to remember, then, is that written words have permanency, and thoughts carelessly put on paper can, when not destroyed by accident, exist for hundreds of years.” — Emily Post
“Never write a letter to anyone – no matter whom – that would embarrass you were you to see it in a newspaper above your signature.”– Emily Post