I note in an online article that deep concerns are being raised in Britain about the lack of a panic button on Facebook. By panic button, they don't mean an alarm but simply a way to control objectionable input that some users may receive; i.e., kids being sexually harassed or abused verbally, for example.
Many wonderful doors are opened by the internet, which has significantly changed the way we communicate. It has been an incredible revolution in an amazingly short time. When I retired in 1995, I had learned to use a computer in business, especially basic Dos applications for sales analysis, but the internet was basically used by a select few in the scientific world, but we all know how it exploded shortly thereafter. It can be a wonderful tool---but it can also be dangerous.
One of the scary aspects of the new communications world of Facebook, Twitter and the like is that it opens up a new way for weasels of all sorts to invade our privacy. I know that you can protect private information yourself to some degree, but a lot of technologically savvy predators can find ways to creep into our lives.
I said in a recent blog that my reason for not partaking of Facebook and Twitter et al. is that I don't want or need 500 new friends. I also like my privacy, and the prospect of intruders entering my life via computer is repugnant to me. It's bad enough with all the phishers on the net without having more scamsters and con men lurking around the new communicative tools.
Yes, it is a great tool, this new form of information and communication; it is also Pandora's box, and it can be frightening on occasions when you open the lid.
I agree with your premise that the potential for harm exists. However, I have not had any problems on Facebook and have reconnected with several friends from elementary and high school that I hadn't heard from in over 40 years.
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