We laugh at, dread, and sometimes even celebrate the hilarity of the “drunk text.” Just about everyone is willing to admit that alcohol makes us say things we end up regretting. What we aren’t so keen on admitting is that screens on our electronic devices have a similar effect. When our words appear as pixels on a screen, it becomes easy to forget the person on the receiving end of the messages.
Sending a message through our treasured devices enhances our relationships with friends, family, and the special someone because they are never more than a few keystrokes away. The problem can be that everyone else is at the same distance. Social networking sites are great for meeting people on campus and keeping in contact with people back home. Many people use these websites to meet roommates and make new friends, but every once in a while someone may come a long that just seems off. In middle school and high school we were warned to be careful on the internet because people may not be who they say they are. Now that we are in our adult lives the warnings aren’t there because we have personal responsibility to make wise decisions. Just because you are legally an adult doesn’t mean that you will not encounter people that make you feel uncomfortable. If someone, even someone you believe also attends you school, starts to upset you, you do not have to overlook it. It is okay to block someone online that starts to pressure you or causes discomfort. This pressure may come in the form of pressuring to meet in person. If you do not feel ready to meet someone from the cyber world in person, you don’t have to. You can and should wait until you feel comfortable. Someone who cannot respect you enough to be understanding of your caution is probably not going to be someone you will want to spend time with anyway.
Dangers of the technological communication reaches beyond the people you don’t know. When you are talking to a screen it makes it a lot easier to say things you would never say if you remembered you were speaking to a real person. The convenience of technology makes it easy to vent or talk about your private problems. Be mindful of who you trust. Just a few clicks of a button can lead to your personal confessions finding the way into the hands of others. The same rule applies for the way you talk about other people. If you say negative things about someone these messages can easily be forwarded and are unlikely to stay private. Most likely if you are sending a message electronically because you would not be able to say it in person, it is probably best not to say it at all. If what you want to say is too difficult to say in person, give it a serious evaluation to figure out why that is and if saying it electronically is really any safer.
Finally, take care to guard against becoming the cyber bully. Words sent through messages can hurt just as much as they would in person. Sometimes they can hurt even more if they are spread publically on a profile seen by many. In the moment you may want it to hurt or you may want others to know the situation, but once you put your business out there, you can’t take it back. Not only do you risk hurting someone else, you also are exposing an ugly side of yourself that may lead to others judging you. In time you will likely regret your words, so save the harshness and avoid attacking others because in the long run you will be glad you skipped this drama.
Being connected through technology is wonderful, when it is used properly. You probably won’t have a friend during the day to stop you from sending that text or posting that message so own your personal responsibility. Let your sparkling personality be your online personality, too.