In our day and age with one click of a mouse or clack of a keyboard, someone’s world can change. Twitter. Facebook. Tumblr. Instagram. The list goes on and on. We have instant and easy access to a whole different world. The ability to connect with others thousands of miles away. The ability to become someone else.

It can be a small tweet. Less than 140 characters. A quick facebook post, addressed only to friends. But those small things can become very large indeed. The internet has become a place for teenagers to vent, rant, or simply show off. It has become increasingly common for teenagers to post about taking part in illegal activity, such as underage drinking or smoking marijuana. We have somehow been given the notion that what goes on theinternet stays where we want it to. But all the privacy settings in the world can’t keep internet information from becoming viral, sometimes for all the wrong reasons.

We have also started using the internet as a place to reinvent ourselves. Phrases like “Tumblr famous” and “Instagram famous” have become a
part of our vocabulary. People who are seemingly ordinary in real life gain hundreds of followers or Facebook friends pretending to be someone they are not. These fake  personas do not always have ill intentions, they instead become a way for people to showcase a part of themselves they may be tempted to hide in their real lives.

The internet is changing us just as we change it. It is starting a new age of teenage rebellion, one different from those ever seen before.
Decades before us, revolution was achieved through physical action, yet now it has become easier than ever to reach new heights without even leaving one’s bedroom. The internet provides a powerful platform that gives people a newfound freedom to express their views in a way never
experienced before.

As technology progresses, we hold a greater responsibility to remain true to our values or get lost in an ever-expanding world of updates, posts and identities.