Dirty Little Secrets

Blog 3

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Have you ever had a problem that you needed help with, but you had no one to turn to for advice? I think it is safe to say that everyone at some point has wanted to share a secret or ask for advice about something, but was just too afraid to share with another person. The internet has allowed a way for true confessions to be shared around the world. Anonymously millions of Americans get on the internet and post questions and confessions onto different sites such as PostSecret.com or Ask.com.

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PostSecret.com is a cool site where people can either send in a hand drawn post card or fill out a card online. The cards will often have drawings and of course little secrets on them that people want to confess anonymously. You may be wondering why anyone would want to share deep secrets with complete strangers. Well the fact is sometimes people just want to get something off of their chest, or to see if anyone else can relate to what they are going through.

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In my personal opinion it is not that odd that our society would feel more comfortable sharing secret via the internet to total strangers than to speak with someone in person. It is the cyber world we have come to know. The cyber punks and Facebook fanatics are way more interested in be social online and connecting with online friends who they don’t have to leave the house to chat with.

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In a recent debate in my communications class we discussed why or why not someone would feel the need to post a very controversial secret to the world. A few of my classmates argued that people seek attention and they feed off of others responses. The rest of us suggested that it wasn’t necessarily attention they were seeking, but more of a sense of community and advice from others in similar situations. Maybe it could be that when someone makes a post about a bad experience they are dealing with and others post the same feelings or maybe something worse, it then makes both persons feel a little less alone.

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A good thing about internet communities is that it helps many people feel important. Sometimes everyone just needs someone to vent to.  When there is no one to turn to at home, school or work the internet gives people a place to feel needed. Some sites allow people to make comments to what people post but some sites you just post confessions and no one makes any comments back.

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Additionally the internet can be a dangerous place. Aside from it being a place to chat with friends it can also be a place where cruelty from strangers can occur. Today, people will read a confession, and tease or say hurtful words to the person to whom the post belonged to.  One thing we should keep in mind on the internet is that these people are strangers and they do not personal know us or our situations. People can make anything seem wrong, and everyone is unique so we all have our own opinions. We build technology that can leave us vulnerable in new ways, and we expected to be nurtured when we share something personal, but sadly that may or may not happen. I hope that for most confessional sites leave people feeling better for being able to vent, and knowing that they are not alone.