At one point, parents were worried about their mid to older teenagers getting on Facebook. Now they might be worried about them not logging onto the social media site.
According to one study done in Europe, teens between 15-18 are leaving Facebook by the multitudes. Guess what the reason is? Because their parents and other adults are sending them friend request. One social scientist calls Facebook ‘dead and buried’ as far as this demographic is concerned. The fact that Facebook is getting popular among adult demographics isn’t helping matters. The ‘big brother’ or privacy issue ?and recent bullying tragedies also play a factor.
It’s a age old story. Once something becomes cool with the older folk, it’s popularity with the younger folk go out the window. But I want to address the privacy issue. More teens are becoming aware what they post on Facebook and other social media sites could haunt them for life. There are plenty stories of people getting fired, not being hired, or even getting arrested, for things they say and do online, no matter how funny, sexy or innocent it might seem at the time. I think that’s why many teens are opting not to go on Facebook period. What is the cause of this Facebook slide?
Over the years, few things on the Internet have caused more security, or more stress, than the password. So many to remember. So many guidelines. But do these things do more harm or good?
These days, the majority of passwords will make you choose at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter and one digit. Most have to be at least eight digits/letters long. Some will make you change your password every 30 days. Some people use software like Lastpass.com to manage and control their passwords. And then there are the life questions: Who was your first teacher? What street did you grow up on? What was your first car? What’s your mother’s maiden name?
Do these make us safer? I and many others think they do. I can tell you one thing not to do: give all your accounts the same password. I read one article where one guy had his life ruined when doing that. Many years ago, strange things were coming to my email. This was my first experience of being hacked, and I was advised to change my password immediately. There were no more hacks after that. So to avoid confusion and headache, I would advise a password management website like Last Pass to help you manage your accounts. Do all these password policies keep you safe or are they just a royal pain?
Have you ever posted anything regrettable on a social media site? At worse, it probably costed you a lot of humiliation, Or maybe even a stern lecture. For Justine Sacco, it cost her a lot more.
On a flight to South Africa, Justine Sacco, a public relations agent, tweeted, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS! Just kidding. I’m white.” By the time her plane touched down, she was an instant celebrity, for all the wrong reasons. The national firestorm was swift and harsh. Her employer fired her and she was forced to apologize in front of the nation.
There is a lot to be said here. First, we should all be careful what we put on social media. It will haunt us for life. And unfortunately, we will be judged on that. I hate it as much as everyone else, but that’s just where the world is right now. The second thing, something that is supposed to be funny or innocent to get blown way out of proportion. For example, if Sacco said this some 25 or 30 years ago, would it have been a big deal. The media got on Steve Martin?for tweeting about pronouncing something in an Italian or African-American restaurant. This could have been an innocent question, but the media and political correct police pumped it up to be even more. He was eventually forced to apologize. I’m not condoning what Sacco said. But has social media become a tool for political correctness enforcement?
And bitcoin has?found another believer and another user. Now don’t rush over there with your bitcoin just yet.
Online megastore Overstock.com has agreed to accept Bitcoin as currency. They will begin to accept the Internet only currency sometime during the second half of 2014. They are the first major online retailer to make this move. (Really?) Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne says logistics still had to be worked out, but “Bitcoin is good money.” Overstock was launched in the late 1990s. Now, they’re one of the biggest online retailers around today, averaging over a billion dollars in sales a year.
This would be a bigger step up for Bitcoin than for Overstock. But I do think this is an educated risk for the retailer. They’ve seen how the new currency has exploded this past year. They also see how unstable this market could be. But Byrne seems really excited about this new adventure, and I think this relationship will be an adventure. I had a feeling something like this was coming. And if this relationship was successful, will other retail stores and maybe auction sites like EBay accept Bitcoin? If this works, how far can Bitcoin’s future grow?
If I told you a whole neighborhood will get free WiFi, which neighborhood would you guess? Greenwich, CT? Beverly Hills, CA? South Beach Miami, FL? Try Harlem, NYC!
Harlem, the historic and perhaps most famous of all African-American neighborhoods, will be the first neighborhood to get free public WiFi service. It’s expected to expand 95 blocks between 110th and 138th St. and stretch between Fredrick Douglas Blvd. and Madison Ave. It’s already being worked on and should be complete in May 2014. It’s part of Mayor Bloomberg’s farewell initiative. Keep in mind much of Harlem is low income. Of it’s 80,000 residents, around 15% live in public housing.
I actually applaud this decision. I don’t like much of what Mayor Bloomberg has done during his tenure, but we’re living in an age where everyone should and eventually need WiFi. This is a good move. And let’s face it; not everyone may be in the position to afford WiFi service. This is a big step in the technological realm. If you predicted five years ago a whole major city neighborhood would probably go WiFi, you would have been laughed out the building. And since it’s New York City leading the charge, maybe other cities will follow. I know there are some on the far right who will call this borderline socialism. I disagree with that sentiment. Public WiFi can be used as a tool to educate youth, train for jobs, and help people achieve the American dream. Will free WiFi come to a neighborhood near you?
For those who don’t know, Bitcoin is a digital currency used without central banks or other central authority. And it is getting popular and pricey!
Today, November 27, 2013, Bitcoin is worth around $900. Just two years ago, it was worth just $9.00. This was a time when one U.S. Senator called it ‘online money laundering’. Now, it’s being hailed as the currency of the future. Investors around the world are flocking to it. Some are calling it online gold. But why has it become so popular? I think part of the appeal is that it’s not government regulated. It’s person to person controlled. Imagine giving a car dealership 50,000 cash in a brown paper bag for a new car. Imagine giving a real estate agent a million dollars cash in a brown paper bag for your home.? Bitcoin allows people to do that online. It’s gotten some notoriety because Bitcoin is the only currency being accepted by Wiki Leaks for donations. More mainstream payment services froze their accounts in the wake of certain controversies.
I am not endorsing Bitcoin by any means. I just find it interesting this? is getting mainstream and so many investors are falling in love with it. I’m still as skeptical as ever about it. But I wonder…is this some kind of a sign for the global economy? Are investors jumping on this bandwagon because they know regular currencies are headed for a downfall? It’s just a question. I won’t be buying anything with it anytime soon. Will you be using Bitcoin on cyber Monday?
