How To Handle Tech Abuse

Technological advances such as smartphones and other gadgets are wonderful because these tools enable people to be more interconnected. Back in the 1970s, people had to use friends' phones, pay phones, or hotel phones if they traveled. If anyone has ever seen the Woody Allen movie Play it Again, Sam, then you will laugh when you notice how many times his friend stops to use other people's phones.

The friend of Wood Allen's character in this movie is always leaving people detailed messages about how to reach him, and you can tell he sure would have liked to have a cell phone! Mostly this movie is about how Woody Allen plays a character who is not very savvy when it comes to dating women, but it is funny to see how technology has advanced since this movie was made in 1972. I wanted to start this hub out on a light-hearted note because the topic I am going to cover here is the sobering topic of tech abuse. Technology has opened up the number of opportunities for stalkers, so it is always good to be vigilante. In movies made before 1989 one always sees a woman sitting at home alone and receiving scary prank calls. In the 2000s, you now see movies where women receive text messages and Facebook messages that are abusive. Even men can are susceptible to tech abuse, so do not think you are completely safe just because you are a man! This hub will give readers a few suggestions on how to avoid tech abuse.

Also, a male friend of mine had an ex-girlfriend who continually sent him harassing text messages at all hours of the night. This situation escalated to the point where he warned her to stop or that he would change his phone number. With the advent of modern technologies, people are able to message each other during any time of the day, which is a scary and real invasion of privacy. There have been several studies conducted on how teenagers are often targted by tech abuse. It is imperative you talk to your children about these issues because they need adults to protect them from stalker and predators who use technological devices to hurt their victims.

I have had several female friends and even one male friend who were stalked via Facebook, Instagram, and text messaging. My female friends were most often stalked via text messaging by former boyfriends who wanted to see who they were talking to. One friend had blocked her ex-boyfriend on Facebook, so he made a new profile and started talking to her under a new name. He won her trust as an anonymous person, which tells us we should always be suspicious regarding strangers we talk to via the Internet.

Another story was that of Megan Meier, who met a boy who left her very nice comments on her Myspace page. The sad thing about that particular story was this was not really a real boy, but Megan's estranged friend and her parents continued to send the Megan nice messages and then one day they turned around and said she was horrible. All the while this Megan believed this was a real person. Sadly she committed suicide over what these people said to her. It is scary to contemplate that people create fake social networking profiles to harass others, so beware if your child is using one of these social networking sites. MySpace is not longer the social media site du jour, but stalking and harassment often now takes place on Facebook or Instagram.

Does your phone ever act funny? Have you ever received odd messages on your phone? People have had their cell phone hacked and are stalked via their own technological devices, which is a paramount invasion of privacy. Here are some simple tips you can use to protect your cell phone:

1. Turn off the Bluetooth:

These devices are very handy but are connected to your cell phone at all times. Turning off your Bluetooth will minimize the opportunities for hackers to attack your device.

2. Keep A Copy of Contact Phone Numbers:

Keep this on your home computer or in a small address book. This way you will have access to your numbers if you lose your phone, or if your phone is hacked. Sometimes you have to reformat your phone if it is hacked, and important contact information could be lost.

3. Do not give strangers your cell phone number:

Get to know the individual first and give him or her your email address if you really want to talk to them. Even a loved one can put spyware on your mobile device, but at least by then you might have seen enough signs to let you know they are up to such malicious behavior. Always keep your mobile device with you and do not share it with strangers or even acquaintances. Guard your mobile device and monitor it from time to time to make sure there are no suspicious calls or texts. Tech abuse is not one percent preventable, but individuals can do everything in their power to curb it.