The Web Means the End of Forgetting

            In the article “The Web Means the End of Forgetting,” Jeffery Rosen unveils the horrors of what mindless posting on the internet can do to tarnish one’s reputation for life. Rosen states that 500 million internet users are members of Facebook and 100 million members on Twitter. He puts into perspective how often people post and how much information is being shared on these platforms alone. With social networking sites, people are constantly updating their statuses and sharing photos with one another. It brings to mind that many people, who post, are doing so in the heat of the moment. People’s news feeds are filled with pictures of their friends drinking their lives away, partaking in illegal activities, and complaining about their jobs and bosses. Rosen explains the damaging effects that this can have on a person. He shares the story of Stacy Snyder, who posted a picture of herself drinking captioned with "Drunken Pirate," and how she was denied her degree to become a teacher. it is scary to think that jobs are now checking into their employees social networking accounts, but they want to get to know who they are hiring to see not only how they are in a professional setting but in their own personal lives as well. This can be a dangerous territory to cross into, because while you have control over what you post, you cannot control what others say about you.  The problem with this is once something is on the web, it is always there. You do not know who has viewed or saved conversation threads or photos, and if they resurface can be damaging to your credibility as a responsible person. Rosen made many valuable points in the article and he meant to make people think twice before they put anything on the internet, it is just a matter if they choose to listen or not.