Jonathan Anhaiser

November 22nd

Professor Bogan

Technological Talk: Discipline and Safety

Safety and technology are two likely subjects that one will hear in todays society. Even

more likely, one will hear them together when the topic of the Internet is brought up. Internet

safety is a growing, yet interesting issue. Below will be a list that is backed up with evidence of

what my personal ten most important ideas to be aware of while using a computer for Internet

purposes.

The tenth spot on the list is given to Relationships due to them having a strong

connection to the social space of ones personal and professional life. Whether its between

friends or a significant other, relationships are a part of every community. Everyone must follow

a code of conduct (Common Sense Media, 2016), a set of rules made by members of that

community to be a good citizen. All of us are bounded by some sort of societal rules, so it is

important to point out that rules are a part of any successful society. Having no rules would make

relationships much harder to make, the social structure would be more chaotic, and peoples lives

will have a higher chance of being in danger, whether it is in an online or offline format.

Information that is shared and concealed is also a big part of relationships (iKeepSafe,

2016). Sharing and concealing information is a part of how one can alter their relationship

boundaries. It is always incredibly important to who one gives information to. Not everyone in

every community can be trusted since there is always a small percentage of people who want to

take advantage of another by using the information that they have on others against each other.
These types of activities with information and having rules gives relationships an essential spot

in online safety.

Reputation comes in ninth for being critical in success in the work world. Most people

need a good reputation to land a job in the job market. Reputation open and closes doors for

people who want to have a digital footprint in a company (Afshar, 2013). Digital footprints are

what employees at a job and students in an organization make by being a part of something

greater. Most want to make a positive but some fall prey to negative footprints as well. It is a

right to not have falsehoods and lies spread around the workplace due to the maliciousness that

it can create. Being wary of certain practices in all types of communities can warrant

investigation for breaking the codes of conduct. Reputation is at a place higher than

Relationships since reputation encompasses ones sociality and one needs a good kind of

reputation to even have good relationships.

Balance is eighth since drawing the line between too much information and too little

information is an essential line to be aware of. This relates to the Relationship section but is

ranked higher than Reputation since one cannot have good reputation without knowing how

much information to give people. Especially dangerous is to disclose too much, or too personal

information on popular social media outlets, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. It is far

easier to disclose sensitive information when one doesnt see thousands of faces staring back at

him or her is a statement that is very true for many people (iKeepSafe, 2016). Several of us let

our guard down when we do not see the people that view our information. Due to this, it is

crucially important to be aware of privacy options that are available online.

Health and Safety skills come in seventh because knowing the long term side effects of

electronics is noteworthy to know. Sitting in a hunched over position is normally seen as bad
posture because stress and forces are magnified. (National Institutes of Health, 2016). Keeping

the spine aligned is great for being in top performance. Computer screens brightness, as well as

the angle the computer screen is facing also affects performance, as these affect the eyes and

musculoskeletal system. (National Institutes of Health, 2016). Health and Safety skills are

ahead of Balance since to have Balance, one learning these skills will have a much more

balanced and healthier life since in the long term, one will save themselves body trouble and

foster good habits.

Antivirus Software secures the sixth spot due to the safety of ones computer to be a very

valuable asset. When a virus hit a computer, the antivirus software has to cleanse an infected

network of nodes (Singh, Shukla, Shukla, Tripathi 2014). The software fights it and gets rid of

the infected nodes, rendering the attack harmless. One can think of antivirus software as a safety

net for a computer. Antivirus Software is ranked higher than Health and Safety skills since one

needs to be able to properly protect their computer to actually use it for a long time to appreciate

the health/safety skills.

Creative Credit and Copyright is similar in ethics in that it is ones duty to be honest in

the data that one uses, thus earning the fifth spot in this list. Stealing someone elses work and

writing it off as ones own is fraudulent and heartless. [S]omeone somewhere created that

picture, song, or article -- and it belongs to that person since it is their creative property

(Common Sense Media, 2016). If one disregards copyright laws when one knows better, sues

could occur and charges will be fined. Copyright is ahead of Antivirus since ethics are vitally

important and cooperation is way forward in societies. Writing someone elses work as ones

own is not cooperation.

 The fourth spot goes to Ethical Use due to ethics being a major reason why communities

are successful. Privacy violations and gossip are unethical since the gossiper cares more

about himself or herself more than hurting other people (iKeepSafe, 2016). Ethics are a

cornerstone for individuals and communities and so that has itself land higher than Copyrights

since Copyrights were made with major ethical considerations. One could say that society is a

manifestation of ethics.

Number three is Privacy since this is a subject that is universally appreciated for each

individual. All of us want some type of privacy and it is especially important to familiarize

[users] with the terms of service and privacy policy before they start using the online services

and sharing information (iKeepSafe). Privacy is higher than ethics since most individuals think

about what to do to protect them over other online users.

Online Security is in second place since it is such a prominent activity nowadays and if

that is in jeopardy, ones life could be in serious financial peril if not kept updated. :[G]ood

security involves good practices, such as selecting good passwords, keeping passwords private,

[and] encrypting data are all tasks that are good to be aware of, while also being critical for

success. This is higher than Privacy since one cannot have privacy online if the online security is

not well made.

Information Literacy is number one since everyone needs to know how to process

information in order to do any of the previously listed items effectively. This literacy includes

the ability to identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively (Common Sense Media,

2016). Appropriate, responsible technology use coincides with literacy so it is important no

matter what one wants to do in life (Digital Citizenship, n.d.).

 References

iKeepSafe. (2017, April 26). Retrieved December 02, 2017, from

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/relationships-and-

communication

Privacy K-12 Curriculum Matrix. (n.d.). Retrieved December 03, 2017, from

http://archive.ikeepsafe.org/privacy-k-12-curriculum-matrix/

Afshar, V. (2013, February 11). Digital Citizenship: Businesses Can Learn From K-12

Educators. Retrieved November, 27, 2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/vala-

afshar/digital-citizenship-busin_b_2654628.html

Singh G., Shukla J. B., Shukla P., Tripathi A. (15 January 2014).

Modeling and analysis of the effects of antivirus software on an infected computer

network. Applied Mathematics and Computation, Volume 227, pg. 11-18. https://doi-

org.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/10.1016/j.amc.2013.10.091

National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved December 04, 2017, from

https://www.ors.od.nih.gov/sr/dohs/HealthAndWellness/Ergonomics/Pages/spine.aspx

Digital Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved December 04, 2017, from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/