I was trying to think of all these new crazy technologies that are surfacing left and right. I did a little preliminary research (on Google of course) and found out about Web 2.0 and nano technology. I just learned the other day that new technologies like Avatars and Flickr even exist. Clearly, I am not too up to date.
When trying to think of a technology that has changed communication, a rather simple one came to mind. The (sort of) new Web site Craigslist. Yes, I admit, it’s not as ingenious as creations mentioned above, but it has turned out to be quite popular.
Although I’ve never used this site, I’ve overheard others talk about how much they like it. I mentioned it to a friend from high school on the phone last night, and she told me her parents found their house when they moved to Dallas through Craigslist.
The original Craigslist in San Fransisco boasts two million monthly visitors, accoring to the New York Times. It’s a place where people go to find out about not only real estate, but also, jobs, personal ads and random junk for sale. Sounds just like a community bulletin board at the YMCA or something.
After surfing around the site for myself, it seemed pretty useful and harmless. Right?
Well, along with the benefits of this new technology, there are always drawbacks.
On October 20, 2007, 24-year-old Katherine Ann Olson was shot and found dead in the trunk of her vehicle, according police reports.
Why am I mentioning this? Because Olson went onto Craigslist.org to find a babysitting job, according to an ABC News report. However, police believe that the ad Olson responded to was intentionally misleading. A 19-year-old male is suspected of falsely advertising on Craigslist and murdering Olson when she reported what she thought was her new job.
Craigslist has come under much scrutiny not only as a result of Olson’s death.
The Web site has also been used as a medium to advertise prostitution and to set up robberies, according to a Minneapolis Star Tribute report.
This story makes the hair on my arms stand straight up. It makes me sick to know that good useful technology can be manipulated and used malevolently. It makes me absolutely sick to think that the smiling face of Katherine Anne Olson above, no longer exists in part because of someone’s misuse of technology.
It just goes to show that what may seem like new and improved on the Internet, isn’t always just that. Olson’s death is a reminder that the World Wide Wed is not always a safe playground, regardless of one’s technological savvy.
200.jpg){kind=link}
3 comments:
Craigslist has become a marketplace like eBay. Only with Craigslist allows more exchange of information - it's less one sided. You can communicate with other users with ease. It's interesting but scary at the same time. Much like the internet has become as a whole.
Really interesting points about the goods and evils of these news cites. Safety first!
Craigslist definitely has some kinks to work out as far as security is concerned. When I heard about the murder case, I got chills. After all, I bought my desk off of Craigslist! Scary! And then I've heard of Craigslist being used for selling sex slaves and prostitutes..disgusting. Where do you draw the line between free exchange of culture and ideas and an infrigement of safety and security?
Post a Comment