Memoirs of an Amnesiac

It was probably in 1995 when internet was launched. Back then, most of us were very much acquainted with black and white screens while we struggle with Turbo Basic and Turbo Pascal. We were the baby boomers --kids born after the war, the same kids who were acquainted with Charles Babbage and got amazed with Bill Gates, even before Steve Jobs awed us with the invention of iPhone.

World wide web or (dabo-u.dabo-u.dabo-u) then made social networking sites available like hot pancakes. Messages that took days or even weeks to months to get received are now made faster through Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. First, there was Friendster, but it got so obsolete when Facebook arrived.

With the advent of such social networking sites, ironically people have become more friendly (online, that is, listing up to more than a thousand friends in their profiles. Who knows, how many of those they have really close affinity with?) Twitter became a more convenient way of posting one's statuses, whether they are at the beach, going for a walk, to the most trivial things as telling people what they're cooking for dinner or their latest accidents.

With just one click, people are able to display their emotions and comment on others, too.

There are of course, downsides to these.

People have forgotten to understand that, social networking sites are public spaces and as such, they must exercise with much discretion, anything they would post in the public space, as if it is considered a taboo to comb their hairs in public.

Take for instance this teacher that I knew who posted her angry shoutouts at the teachers in a public school here in Cebu City. By decency and as called for in her profession, she should have exercised utmost self-control and discretion when divulging her loath messages towards others. Yes, she was able to express her anger but her reputation (as someone who takes criticism rather sourly and with a grain of salt) was made manifest. She even used words that were unbecoming of her as a teacher.

I have nothing against self-expression. In fact, I harbor ill feelings towards my old teachers way back when I was still in school who would monopolize classroom time by talking about their useless and trivial exploits (that are totally out of the lesson) and have not given students the equal opportunity to express themselves. Please don't get me wrong.

I just think that with one's freedom to express is the responsibility to extend to the readers in the public space a sense of courtesy and decency that is becoming of someone who deserves such freedom.

One can express anger, loath, wrath, disgust, pleasure, appreciation in a way that does not cross boundaries as maligning others and causing inappropriate reactions.

Be responsible. After all, you're not the only one in this public YouTwitFace.