The internet and technology are very useful tools that nearly everybody in today’s society use. Today, one can get information from all around the world in just a matter of seconds by using their phone. In today’s world, one can know somebody just by looking at their internet identity. While this can be a very helpful tool, it can also be very harmful.

Social media is a big part of today’s society, especially for high schoolers. It is a good way to connect with friends, but everybody can see everyone’s social media accounts. Not only do friends look at one’s account, but parents, coaches, acquaintances, and future employers can see it as well. Even if someone makes their account private, that information might not always be private to just the individual and their friends. Austin Stickel, senior, said, “This is why I make sure I portray myself very professionally on all my social media accounts.”

Cj Roether, senior, has experienced being hacked before. He said, “I didn’t make a very complicated password, and somebody was able to hack into my twitter account. They tweeted a lot of things that portrayed me in a bad way.” Just because someone said a few bad things on Roether’s account, he faced consequences. For example; his parents got mad at him and punished him. Also, people around the school viewed him differently before they found out he was hacked.

There are a few ways to prevent being a part of a cyberattack. First, people should change their passwords often. Marcus Conway, senior, said, “I change the passwords on my accounts at least once a month to make sure I am not being hacked.” Along with changing passwords, one should also make complex passcodes, mixing capital and lowercase letters, along with numbers and symbols. Doing this will help accounts stay protected.