The First Amendment...

The First Amendment is, for most of us in the newspaper and print media, the very air we breath. It is the guarantee that we, as Americans, will be able to speak our hearts and minds without the threat of reprisal hanging over our heads.

However, when the amendment was penned by our founding fathers in 1789, I seriously doubt any of them envisioned the changes technology — most obviously the internet — would bring, not only to this country, but to the entire planet. And while the First Amendment is still very much a part of our country's social fabric, the role it plays in the cyber-world has become increasingly hard to predict.

When I first discovered the world wide web — no, I'm not going to say how long ago that was, a rather vain effort not to date myself — it was mostly a method to convey rather simple data, such as spread sheets and text-based media. I remember downloading a copy of a movie script and thinking, “My God, how the world has changed.”

And, in all honesty, it hasn't stopped changing since that time. Now, websites such as Facebook, Twitter and other social networking options have become such an ingrained part of our day-to-day life, it's hard to imagine our world without them.

Unfortunately, the free sharing of information — both nationally and worldwide — doesn't come without a cost.

Many of you may remember what was once the calling card of cyberworld: anonymity. The ability to speak freely — much of the time in a manner and tone none of us would have ever considered doing in real life — without the fear of reprisal because, for the most part, no one had any idea who or where we were. Hackers rejoiced and bucked the system, movie nerds posted sharp and colorful opinions and no one had a clue who magnoliafan779 really was.

Things have changed, however. Our egos have pretty much taken over, as the desire to be heard has been mostly overwhelmed by our desire to be seen. Photos on Facebook, status updates on Twitter, blogs of every flavor … and all of it done with one eye placed firmly on the number of web hits, friends cultivated or Facebook “likes” collected.

No, I think its safe to say the era of anonymity provided by the internet is over. Sure, hackers and other web delinquents still cling to blending into the endless array of ones and zeroes that make up our world, but even those civil disobedient souls have to work tirelessly to maintain the veil we once took for granted.

And while there's really no telling how well or thoroughly the government — you know, Big Brother — is watching our internet activities, they are by no means alone when it comes to digging into someone's digital dirt.

For example, let's say Bob calls in sick to work on a Monday morning. He's not really all that sick, mind you, he's just decided he needs a day off from his weekly grind.

In years past, as long as Bob didn't manage to wander into the frame of a television newscast amazingly inebriated, wearing a ton of Mardis Gras beads and wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “I'm playing hooky,” he was pretty much safe.

Today, however, there's a multitude of ways Bob could get busted for his little transgression, especially if he's lax about his social networking security options. An ill timed Twitter update — “OMG, I just ate the best hoagie in my life!” after telling his boss he's tossing up his toenails — or a Facebook photo of him playing miniature golf could very well end up on his bosses monitor.

Or, in more malicious cases, printed out by someone who just doesn't like him or his politics and mailed to his boss, along with a note admonishing his actions and just about every other aspect of his life. In short, that's what happened to me recently.

And yes, I was guilty. No, I wasn't playing hooky, in case you're wondering. What I had done was taken a picture of a double parked vehicle in a crowded parking lot and added a rather colorful caption. Very colorful, mind you.

Of course, the irony wasn't lost on me. I'm a writer working for a newspaper that uses the First Amendment much like Gotham City used the bat signal, often speaking my mind and sharing opinions that aren't universally loved. However, that very amendment — the same one my father went overseas to fight for and I would later enlist in the Air Force to protect — caught me right in the breadbasket with no warning.

In the end, I suppose we should all be mindful of what we post online. I mean, it's there forever, right? And while that politically humorous meme of President Obama may seem like a good idea today, years from now, when you're running for office on the Democratic ticket, it could come back to haunt you.

Yes, the world has changed tremendously. Technology has changed the way we share information forever, some for the better and others, well, you get the picture.

I suppose, ultimately, we should all just stick to memes of angry kittens holding Photoshopped sniper rifles and demanding better kitty litter. In all honesty, it would probably be a lot more entertaining than the endless slew of political jabs loading down the web.

Freedom of speech should always be tempered with responsibility, both legal and social.