social permanency

In addition to Juliette's comment about companies/brands walking a fine line between trying to control or stop what is said about them, or having to just let it go, I think this is a serious issue not only because the things said are malicious and untrue, they are permanent. Just as Professor Strate had dealt with his name being linked to an inappropriate website that he had nothing to do with, the anonymity on the internet and inability to not be able to control what is said about you nor deleted thereafter is terrifying. You really have to think about what you do and what you put out there for the whole world to see, because it can never be taken back. In this sense, I find this kind of social interaction to be less like communication, and more like information because although you can give your own input, somewhat stand up for yourself or attempt to make corrections, it is never like a conversation with someone and water under the bridge. Even worse than being in print, is having something written or shown about you on the internet because it forever exists somewhere. Even having some sort of centralized control would not be able to eradicate this type of behavior nor the permanency of information. It is incredible how powerful and persuasive information is and even with the prominence of social media and level of communication that the internet embraces, we are left feeling out of control. It has become bigger than us, and what is conveyed on the internet seemingly holds more weight than the spoken word.