MySpace is one of the fastest growing and most visited Internet sites. It has become a part of teenage life; it is part of a daily routine for many. For the last few months, criticism of MySpace seems to have rapidly increased as evident by the amount of coverage by the media.

B MySpace is affecting people in so many different ways. Recent plans for a Columbine-style massacre shooting at a Kansas school were intercepted through MySpace.

Employers are now accessing job candidate’s MySpace to learn a bit more about a prospective employee-many employers recall the content of a MySpace when making an employment decision.

Employees who “blog” negatively about their employer can be fired. A Texas community college recently banned MySpace, citing bandwidth issues as its rationale. Child predators have used MySpace to reach and hurt children.

MySpace was started as a social networking site to bring people together, but many are accessing this site for more than social networking-and these “new,” both good and bad uses for MySpace will likely continue as this site continues to grow.

B Should these be red flags? Should people be more careful with MySpace? I think the answer to both of those questions is an obvious “Yes.” Recognizing the implications and problems with using the site is one matter. However, taking action is a whole other story.

Will enough people really act on all of the MySpace warnings and change their MySpace “behavior”?

Ultimately, I think the criticism surrounding MySpace reflects the need for greater responsibility and common sense among individuals in society. People are not being responsible with MySpace. If you would not want your parents to see something you posted on your MySpace, then why are you even posting it?

Keep in mind, some parents are more savvy with the Internet than we think. It is the users’ responsibility to make sure that their MySpace content will not cause them any problems. If problems arise, then those users must deal with the consequences and take accountability for their actions.

B Look how easy it has been for people to “dig up dirt” about political candidates in their younger years of their “pre-Internet” life.

Imagine how much easier it will be to “dig up dirt” for our generation. Imagine how much more will be in that dirt thanks to the internet and sites like MySpace.

B