While technology has evolved to enable more efficient communication with things like email or social media, vandals and thieves known as “hackers” have also adapted themselves to this new online society. They now have the potential to damage reputations and lives.
The most notable problem of the rising issue of hacking is that it can have long-range and detrimental effects. However, the definition of hacking varies in size and damage.
Hacking can affect a relationship indirectly from a public or personal level. Easy and tangible, the most common type of hacking is the unauthorized access of profiles in social media such as Twitter.
When hacking comes into the personal lives of people, as in the case of social media, it can get scary, creepy and even dangerous. When hacking gets this bad, it can influence the lives of much more than the person being hacked.
Senior Kezio Snelling suffered the unfortunate effects of this hacking firsthand.
“Some crazy guy got into my Twitter and put bad stuff on it. I had to delete my Twitter and start out fresh,” said Snelling.
Snelling’s account had been taken over, and pornography was posted on it by a hacker. Some schools, businesses and employers will often check the social media of their students or prospective employees to estimate their discipline and trustworthiness.
“The hacking affected me because those things that the hacker put there can really hurt and mess up my scholarships,” said Snelling. “Since I have a good relationship with my coaches, they knew that it was not me who put those pictures up.”
The experience was what Snelling remarked as an “eye opener” for the dangers of Internet safety. He concluded that social media can “slow you down” and “even stop you.” Despite the heavy online usage of today, like Snelling, the number of people questioning the security of social media is increasing.
Hacking is not something that can be prevented. There are always loopholes in the Internet, and it’s very rare for social media to block them out.
“You can’t stop hacking, you are told to be careful on social media, and you should. When you do go on social media, just know that hacking can happen at any time and be careful. There are hackers out there,” said Snelling.
The dangers of hacking can be detrimental to one’s status and position in society. Friends may not notice, but employers and school administrators might. It is important to overcome fears and confront employers and other trusted adults about the hacked account sincerely so they can understand.
There are numerous solutions to the problem of hacking. It is wise to change passwords regularly, such as once a month. Above all, nobody should ever share any personal information with anyone that is not a trusted adult. This is a surefire way to maintain safety on the Internet.
Arturo Santos-Perez // Staff Writer
