Miley Cyrus recently left the Twitterverse without explanation, which sent everyone into a frenzy of speculation, with most believing it was because her new boyfriend, co-star Liam Hemsworth, told her to.
Well, fret not Miley followers, because while she has not come back to Twitter, she has offered an explanation, both in written and rap form.
October 09, 2009 Miley posted the above video on her YouTube page.
A few days later, Miley released a blog post, part of which was a warning to young social network users everywhere:
“Twitter is not the only thing I am cutting back on. This is not an attack against this particular site, I just think kids all over the world could maybe take a little vacation from Cyberspace. My problem with the Internet is it makes negativity so available. It allows people to anonymously hurt others without any consequences. That is not the real world. Not only that, but if we spent more time enjoying what we are doing besides tweeting about it, we would enjoy our lives a whole lot more. I have very little free time and the moments that I do have I should be spending with my family and friends and loving every minute of their company.”
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Miley has a point. With the rise of cyber bullying, naked picture scandals, sex predators, and leaked secrets, kids just don’t understand the consequences of inviting millions of people into their lives. It may sound extreme, but kids post pictures of themselves for “fun” all the time that come back to bite them in the butt. Future employers and colleges can see those “fun” pictures of them in their bathing suits, or posing suggestively or drinking underage and make decisions about them as people that will effect their futures forever. Once you put something on the Internet, it becomes eternal.
It seems with our ever increasing ability to connect with people all over the world through 140 character sentences or Facebook “pokes” we are forgetting how to connect with the important people in our lives that are right in front of us. Encourage your kids to unplug every once in a while. Even if you monitor their Internet activity and they aren’t getting into a trouble, a little face to face time can do nothing but good.
Comments
Minerva
November 24th, 2009 - 3:48:43 AM
Kidglue touches on the usual people/internet issues like privacy and children on the internet...but what about the very INSIGHTFUL topic this young lady brought up: "My problem with the Internet is it makes negativity so available. It allows people to anonymously hurt others without any consequences. " It seems we failed to touch on that. She's completely right and I COMPLETELY agree. The internet has caused me to feel more cynical or negative in my own life and I never realized this correlation! I cannot believe I just received a life lesson from Miley Cyrus. Wow, out of the mouths of babes...