Castle and Media

Alright, so I was watching the recent episode of Castle, and Castle's daughter Alexis started a video blog and Castle was very concerned and worried about this blog of hers. He was concerned because once you put something out there, any one can see it from a future job interviewer to an internet creep and there are bad people out there who do bad things and the more you expose, the more danger you could let yourself get into.
Those of you who watch the show know how very mature and intelligent Alexis is, often times while watching the show its Alexis who is playing the role of parent and Castle the role of kid, but Alexis's response to her father is quite brilliant.
"My generation grew up in a digital fish bow, no matter how careful we are, stuff will get out there... friends will tag me in photos, inevitably doing something stupid. But why should that define me? Why can't I go out there and define myself?" Although I completely agree with her. We are in a digital fishbowl where everyone sees everything and we need to be careful what we put out there and try not to do stupid things, think first and act later. Something my mother taught me was to think about the future, about my future kids and if they saw what I was doing or where I was at and think how I would feel if they approached me about it. If you enter into a situation where you would be ashamed if your children knew about or if it would make it so you do not get a job then it may be best to leave that situation and move forward. Make sure that despite what we put out or what we see we take it with a grain of salt. Do not define yourself from the digital world that encompasses us but go out there, leave the digital world behind and define yourself.

It is like what all the general authorities have told us in General Conference addresses, firesides, devotionals, you name it, technology is good if used for the right purpose but there is opposition in all things so technology can also be bad. It all depends on our purposes behind it. President Uchtorf said it best in his April 2008 Conference Address entitle A Matter of a Few Degrees. Technology can be a "wonderful resource of inspiration, help, and learning" (even connecting with others, especially family). "But be cautious. These same technologies can allow evil influences to cross the threshold of your homes. These dangerous traps are only a mouse click away," this evil can "destroy families, marriages, and individual lives" so it is imperative that we are smart and careful, be aware of the digital and real world around you, be safe!!!
(I'm done with my soap box, it just really got me thinking....)