"Ethical" Computer Use: To Pirate or Not To Pirate

Truthfully, regardless of what laws on piracy there are, there will always be people who leak and pirate content. It is true that in some circumstances piracy isn't a victimless crime, but I personally don't believe that a 12 year old girl who downloads the new Taylor Swift album from youtube instead of buying it on iTunes because she can't afford it should go to jail for piracy. Obviously there are worse scenarios, but I'm not fond of imprisoning people for piracy. The prison system is overcrowded as it is. Many people don't go to jail even after murdering, raping, or assaulting someone, so why should someone go to jail for not being able to afford content?  People who pirate and leak video games before they're officially released and people who pirate and leak movies before they're officially out should definitely be fined and have whatever website they used to leak it shut down. People who pirate a program or a video game and alter it slightly and pass it off as theirs, whether selling it or releasing it for free, should be charged with copyright charges. However, I honestly can't see the point in imprisoning people for not wanting to pay $20 for an album, or $60 for a video game. There are much worse things in the world that our attention should be on.

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Once It's Out There...

Nothing on the internet is private. Even with social media privacy settings and passwords, there is a way for someone to get into anything if they try hard enough. You may think you're sending something to your friend confidentially, but so much as leaving the "remember your password" button checked could cause other people to see that message, and you can't delete it. Everything is stored and everything is backed up. You have to be cautious of what you put online because you can't take anything back. Don't post anything you wouldn't want your grandmother to see. Remember who you're sharing things with, and always be careful about how your words would affect others if they were to see them.

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Restricting Children From Technology

In this article, it talks about how Taiwan is restricting young children from using the internet. There is a lot of talk going on about how technology is ruining education or ruining childhoods, and I can't help but disagree. Technology is something that advances with time, just like everything else. I hope people didn't try to restrict children from using electricity when the lightbulb first came about. Whether or not you like technology has nothing to do with whether or not it's needed - when much of the world revolves around electronics, you shouldn't restrict your children from learning how to use them. The article states in rebuttal, "it would be like waiting until a child is 18 years old before they can own and use their own literacy tools such as pens, paper and books." I think by limiting a child's access to what technology they can use, it disadvantages their learning, because learning can be furthered so much just by using technology. I know several people with learning disorders and disabilities that rely on iPads or Kindles to read to them. It also makes it more easy to communicate with people - children that have relatives overseas or serving abroad in the military can talk to them over skype or another chat app. We should be trying to grow with technology, not against it.

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The Importance Of Passwords

In this article, it talks about how to create a safe, reliable password and the dangers of not having one. Some of the ways to have a safe password are avoiding using the same password twice - if someone gets into an account with a password, they're going to try to get into other accounts of yours with the same password. You shouldn't use easily identifiable names, and you should change your passwords regularly. I really agree with the stress to use different passwords. I once had my facebook hacked, and because they got my email from that and I was using the same password for AOL mail as I was for facebook, they got into my email and nearly into my paypal. It's always a good idea to change your passwords often and keep them long and well thought out.

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Spreadsheets

One might think of businesses when discussing spreadsheets, but all people can find use for them. Teenagers are no exception to this. For example, if a teenager is working part time, they can create a spreadsheet to keep track of their salary and hours. They can also use it to manage their grades and averages in school. If they're supporting their family they can use them to keep track of spending in grocery stores, restaurants, or rent.


An example of an allowance spreadsheet (source)

Cyberbullying

If I had a friend that was being cyberbullied, I would first advise them to block or cease contact with the person doing it. I would also tell them not to take anything the person is saying to heart, because it's likely they're just insecure about their own self. If the situation continued to escalate, I would tell them to talk with a parent or guardian and confide in them about it. Should any threats of violence occur, I would also recommend they get in contact with law enforcement. If the situation continued to persist, I would lastly recommend they make their social media private or take some time away from it to let the situation die down.

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Is technology hurting society?

  Technology, specifically electronic technology, has further advanced us as a society more than anything else. It has connected us to much more than ever thought possible, yet some people still believe it is doing more harm than good. They believe we've become dependent on it, and that it is impersonal and rude to use technology to communicate rather than talking face to face. I disagree with this notion.
  Technology has allowed us to connect with people far, far away from us. In older times, people would have to write letters than would take weeks or even months to be delivered, not including how long it would take for a reply. Now, I could send a text to one of my friends in England, and I would probably get a reply back in a minute depending on what they were doing. It's faster, it's more efficient. And should texting not be your cup of tea, there is skype. You can talk to each other out loud, you can see each others faces, and it's free regardless of where they are. I consider sending letters much more impersonal. Think of families with members abroad, fighting in the army. Skype and phone calls are sometimes the one way they can communicate, and when they can, it's a beautiful thing. Not to mention people who have disorders that impair them in social situations, like anxiety, autism, or selective muteness. Some of my best friends live across the country, and they are not any less of friends to me because I use technology to talk to them.
  You could say technology is causing students' writing skills to decline, but that would mean to ignore everything technology has done for the writing industry. Kindles, Mac books, portable devices designed to help you read and write on the go, wherever you are. Applications made to help with writer's block and lack of inspiration. In my opinion, the best thing to happen to the writing industry is technology.

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