MySpace and eBay and Fear, oh my!
I just did a guest lecture at George Washington University. I opened by asking the kids (mostly sophomores-juniors in college so what , about 19-20) how they felt about using eBay. I shared my fear of just having bought an expensive handbag on eBay. Immediately, 7 hands went up, all eager to share their fraud stories from eBay. These kids know how to work the system, though: their hints were great. They steer clear of escrow and all its relatives; they look for tags of authenticity.
Then, I asked them about MySpace…this too elicited tales of sexual predators and lots of hearsay. 5 minutes into my class I was thinking these kids did not trust the web at all…
So I asked, do you feel like the Internet is a scary place? One summed it up nicely, I thought. He said, “I feel like a 7 years ago, like when I was 12, it was a lot worse. Like, I would get molested if I went online.”
I said, a ha, my friend: that’s the result of a good social marketing campaign, not truth. What I thought was so interesting was the completely blase attitude of these young folks: yeah, eBay might defraud you and MySpace might be sketchy, but that’s life. The Internet is part of it. Deal.
About Me
Morra Aarons-Mele utilizes social media strategies to help employers, employees and communities connect. She also consults with leading organizations on how women can use the internet for professional and personal development. In her spare time, Morra enjoys blogging about women and politics. Read her full bio >>
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