Is the internet a vanity press for the demented? Solove's new book on Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet should inspire us toward a better 2012

The internet can be a fun place, but it can also be a place that can cause a great deal of trouble in your personal life and professional career.  After all, nothing is off limits on the internet, and even when there might be some legal remedies for things like slander and libel, once it is posted on the internet the cat is out of the bag and the damage is almost immediate.

Daniel J. Solove talks about this and many other issues about the internet in society in his new book "The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet."

As a local titleholder in a national organization I take my job very seriously.  I know that my title comes with a year of service that last far longer than my moments on the stage, and it is during that term of service that I get the chance to promote Happy Kids and Safe Schools, and with any luck, convince people that they are self-empowered to make a difference in their school's and communities.

Recently I was in a conversation about Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan and how the public, despite all the drama with Charlie and Lindsay, seem to have a higher tolerance for bad behavior for celebrities than they do for every day citizens.  Clearly if I pulled a stunt like one of these celebrities, I doubt my friends would stick around even if I went on later to be in a movie or sitcom.  But for people we don't know, we seem to be more forgiving.

But the internet gives us a chance to be hurtful to people we know, even the people closest in our lives, and do it anonymously with such speed and convenience that the damage is almost instant.  Joseph Epstein had this to say in a recent column:

The internet has been splendid in the freedom it has given people to express their opinions, in catching out politicians in egregious lies and journalist in shoddy practice, and in som much else.  But it is the other side of that freedom - the freedom to libel, to invade privacy, to wreck lives - that has gotten so little, though greatly needed, attention.

Being a role model is an incredible responsibility, so I hope in 2012 we will all be a little more careful about our activities online.  Even if unintentional or caught in the heat of the moment, what we post online can have longterm consequences.  So let's spend this year being a little more aware of the people around us and use our time on the internet to advocate for the things we wish to change in the world.  If you see my in cyberspace, I'll be encouraging people to take a stand against bullying in their communities.  What will you do online in 2012?

P.S. Don't forget to join me during my year of service and support the Children's Miracle Network by looking for me online at missamerica4kids.org.