The Watcher

Dear Danah Boyd,

A main reason why some people join social media networks is because they like the idea of being watched.  So many people use their blogs and pages as a means to get attention from people.  Twitter and YouTube are two main sites where people can get the most attention that they want.  People can say what ever they want here either creating controversy or finding ways to relate to their audiences.  As a result, Twitter and YouTube celebrities have been created because they like the idea of being watched/followed by a large amount of people.  They have a power over their audience because they keep coming back to listen to what they have to say.  The stories that you provided about the teenage girls and their Facebook pages were good examples of what frequently happens in the Facebook world.  There is not much privacy when posting status to people who are you friends.  One teen found that deleting her posts would help decrease the drama she was experiencing while the other had to be more aware about her status choices because she was friends with her mom.   People are constantly watching what you are doing on line whether you like it or not.  Therefore wise choices need to be made about what people but online because people are always getting in trouble for what they put online without thinking about the consequences. 

Kelly Myers