Ask Marian

I see a lot of scary stuff on the Internet. It’s my job to see it, understand it and help people learn to avoid it. When I talk to the media and members of the public, heck, even my own family, sometimes I wish we didn’t have to give the bad guys of the world so much of our time. If we could simply enjoy technology, and the communities we’re forming online; if we could celebrate the myriad ways our global hive mind has expanded our choices in entertainment, education and commerce; if we could recognize that most of what happens online is WONDERFUL for young people and adults, we might develop a more nuanced attitude about online risk. Today, let’s imagine a world where we CELEBRATE the wonders of young people using technology in PRODUCTIVE ways; where we set aside, just for a moment, our fears of cybercrime, predators, online scammers and online cruelty and explore how we can use the Internet to do GOOD. Let’s begin by cheering for the launch of the Family Online Safety Institute’s A Platform for Good.