The Downside Of Social Networking…

Stephen Fry has 'retired' from Twitter due to some hurtful tweets.

I am a sucker for using social networking sites, these include various forums, Facebook and Twitter. I find that most forums, apart from one or two that i’m a regular on, contain 50% idiots and 50% nice people. The few that i am a regular on are very respectable forums – hence why i’m a regular!

Anyway, the reason i bring all this up, is because Stephen Fry has threatened to leave Twitter today, as he finds some peoples words on there harsh and hurtful. Now, i don’t know EXACTLY what was said to him, but i totally feel his pain as i know that it’s a common problem to find yourself being bullied online. How anyone can have the nerve to insult him anyway is just beyond me – he’s one of my favourite personalities on TV and has been around for years…most people on Twitter aren’t even fit enough to tie his shoe laces. I find it very dissapointing that this has happened, because i saw him not so long ago on a chatshow here in the UK speaking about how much he adores Twitter . Now this person has obviously gone and ruined all of that joy for him.

I myself have been caught out on social networking sites. Not only have i been on the receiveing end of insults, but i do admit to giving the odd one out now and again. I did recently pay the price for that however and have since apologised…

I find it pretty weird how we can now be open to insults whilst just sitting here in our living rooms, minding our own business, browsing the Internet. I remember when i was younger, the only chance of me receiving an insult was if i left the house or did something at home to irritate the family…they were insults from ‘real’ people, not people who think they’re big because they’re typing to you through a box – but would they dare say those things to your face? I think not.

Then there are the horrid stories you hear on the news about children being abducted and abused via these networking sites, and it just makes you start to really fear for the future doesn’t it? It makes me think that the world was such a better place without computers, and that in years to come things will only start to get worse when we start to rely on computers for EVERYTHING in life…even school  teachers won’t exist in years to come – i get the feeling everything will be computerized.

Anyway, i would just like to ask anyone who is on twitter to let Mr Fry know that he is loved and that we all want him back! You can do that by using the hashtag #stephenfrymuststay . Here are some people who have already done this, me included  http://twitter.com/search?q=%23stephenfrymuststay#search?q=%23stephenfrymuststay

Play safe.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8335793.stm

Is The Internet Taking Over?

The England v Ukraine match was Internet viewing only

There was an uproar yesterday, as the England v Ukraine match was only accessible via the Internet, but some other countries were able to see the game on TV.

When i last checked…i was British, right? So how come we don’t get to watch an ENGLAND game in ENGLAND? But some other countries CAN see the game, who are not ENGLISH? Makes no sense to me…

This leaves me asking one question – has the Internet actually taken over the world in the sense that we won’t even be needing TV or radio at all in the future? You can now listen to radio stations, even being able to create your own virtual one on the Internet, so why bother needing a radio? And there are lots of streams that you can watch ‘legally’ paying for them when it comes to watching tv programmes, or just catch up on ITV Player or BBC i-player, which is in fact free.

Some bands even release songs for download only without even bothering to release an album in store.

I guess i feel slightly sorry for the older generation who have no access to the Internet and who struggle to work computers, as in the future, if all things do go ‘virtual’, how will they cope?

Watch this space.

The Internet is gradually going to take over the world and everything we know.

It is going to kill us all.

The End of an Era

It was reported today that the Boyzone singer Stephen Gately has died.

I really feel like stating an opinion on this, as i was a fan of Boyzone during the ’90’s, and even still now, since their comeback.

I was 11 years old, and my wall was plastered with posters of the band. My favourite member back then was Stephen. I guess it’s because i used to think he was the cutest! This crush lasted until they finally split in 2000, when i was about 14.

How happy i was to hear they had reformed in 2007! My music taste had totally changed by this point, i was into rock music, my favourite bands being Metallica and Queen…but i really was excited about this news.  It was nostalgia for me.

I went to see them perform twice during this reunion, and i was recently lucky enough to have Stephen stand right in front of me during one of their shows and share a bit of banter with the people standing next to me. My tastes have somewhat changed over the years, swinging more to the gruff looking member of the band, Ronan Keating, but seeing Stephen still gives me tingles of nostalgia.

He was only 33 years old when he died. Way too young.

Such a shock.

Will the band continue without him? I hope so…but who knows. It may just be too hard for them.

This is all i have to say on the matter really…

RIP Stephen Gately.