Big Brother’s Watching You…

He’s reading your blog, he’s scruntinizing your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Big Brother’s lovin’ those video’s you posted from spring break. He’s positively salivating over the accounts of your recent romp with that sexy dude you met at the bar. He’s scorning the hell out of all those nonsensical tweets you made about your boobs, though he doesn’t mind checking out the bikini shots you posted on your blog.

I know, I know. Big Brother’s not real. He’s a cautionary tale, just like the big bad wolf. Well, I am here to tell you, Big Brother’s definitely alive and well, and he’s checking you out daily. Don’t laugh at me, that’s just plain rude. He’s there, I promise you.

OK, still a skeptic. Want to know more about this Big Brother? Actually, you’ve probably already met. See, Big Brother is everywhere. He’s your neighbour, he’s your ex, he’s definitely your employer, and you can bet that little Jr’s BFF’s mom is playing Big Brother. Today’s modern Big Brother is everywhere, he’s everyone you ever met. And ever will meet. He’s there, he’s checking you out. And he’s sneaky. Sneakiness is the secret to Big Brother’s success. You see, with Big Brother,  you may never even know that he was sniffing around your privates. You can be sure he was there. You just can’t ever be sure of how he judged you. 

Still a skeptic? How about if the NY Times reported on it? Will you believe Clark Howard? Lifehack certainly believes your Facebook might just prevent you from being hired, or could indeed lead to your firing. Ask Dan Leone about his awesome Facebook update that led to his unemployed status.

Even if you’re in no danger of being fired, and you’re not worried about impressing prospective employers, this still affects you. It affects anyone with a blog, or a public profile online. Your neighbour? The one you’re sure hates you? She doesn’t actually hate you, you see, but she’s read your blog. She’s a little wigged out by the raunchy story about you and hubby visiting the sex shop, and the delightful time you had with your purchases. Not to mention how put off she is by your constant drinking references. Cause, really, not everyone has to have bourbon, or a lemondrop, to get through the day.

But, hey, why worry about her, when it’s your kid’s teacher that’s really an issue. She reads your blog, too. And she’s none to impressed with your take on her teaching abilities. But hey, she won’t take her frustrations out on your kid, though, will she? Surely she’s a hell of a lot more mature than you are. You hope.

Today’s social networking obsessed society is laying it all out there in way’s unthinkable to previous generations. The free-wheeling, let it all hang out, blogging, twittering mom of today is raising children who will have little respect for the personal boundaries of past generations. Today’s youth are already seeing the potential for social media backlash. What hope do we have for the kids of today, being raised in an environment where anything is bloggable, and very little is sacrosanct? Big Brother will watch over this generation, too. With luck, perhaps this generation of  kid’s will be a little more circumspect than their parent’s. They’ll need it.