I sat reading ‘The Male Gazed’ shocked and disturbed. As a female that uses social media frequently, I am now looking at my use of Facebook under much more scrutiny and concern. Never did I think about this issue enough to realize that the people working behind our screens, practically having access to each and every move we make via social media, are the ones I am most concerned about in our time: the white, middle-aged male. I have certainly been one of the people that have fed into the mentality that boys are not supposed to post as much about themselves as girls. That us girls ought to post attractive images to up our likes and views, ie. posting excessive ‘selfies’ is more acceptable if girls are doing it. What’s most frustrating about this issue is that Facebook and other social media outlets have consumed so much of our globe, brought so many people together, and have created such a show and tell lifestyle, that there may not be enough shared anger and concern towards this issue to create change.
Sarah Kessler’s article on how to avoid being ‘tracked’ certainly sparked a sense of temporary anxiety and paranoia. As I learned about the lengths that some people go to in order to stay off the radar, at first I felt I ought to make similar choices when it comes to how I move throughout my day to day life, where I choose to post pictures, who I befriend, how I pay, etc. But I also realized that living in such a way is draining, unhealthy, and quite silly. We live in an era of technology and humankind going hand in hand, and that will only progress into the future. Should we avoid making our entire daily lives available to the public? Yes, of course. The invasion of privacy and crimes that members of the NSA commit are sickening, but living as if every detail of our lives can be used against us is not how anyone should live.