Dear LPG readers,

It has taken quite a bit of time but I now think that I have learned quite a little about finding my way around the internet.  When I first retired I was determined that there was no need for me to learn anything about computers as such, and I think that all that time being locked down did not change my mind, although frustration and necessity did steer me to invest in a smart phone and, having lots of time on my hands got me working out what I could do with it apart from make phone calls.  I have little doubt that I will not be the only older computer-illiterate who learned a lot because there was not much else to do at that time and, once you get started, the things to be discovered have a funny habit of drawing you in. 

Over the past few years I have learned quite a few internet basics and I think that something that you learn by discovering it for yourself at a time when you really need to know, provides a serious sense of satisfaction.  One of the first things I learned, after the basic lesson of how to make a call, was to use Google and, once you get asking questions there, the temptation to find new ones to ask becomes extensive.  

I might be watching a film and my phone comes out to check the age of an actor, or I get up in the morning and check what the weather is going to be like, before making a trip to the bank I will ask what time it closes.  

I think that being able to get Google to provide the answers to your questions without having to do the research yourself is a really good thing but, as with every other invention that has ever materialised, there are the down sides.

It may well be that nothing at all comes up as the result of your research but one thing worth taking a look at is how much personal information is stored about each of us on line even if we have never actually used an electronic devise in our lives.  We are always being told about how much of our personal information can be found so easily.   It is a subject which is so often the topic of conversations these days and which worries so many of us.   I know that, in spite of all the good things that I think being able to use the internet can offer, I can’t help worrying about all the possible lies that might be associated with me out there.  we are so often told that there is nothing we can do but there is.  

It might seem somewhat narcissistic but I think that there is value in Googleing yourself every now and then.  I did this recently and the first thing that surprised me is that there are 47 other people with the same name as me living in the London area alone.   For a fee you can check that they at least have your information right if it has to be there.   If you have a ‘Facebook’, ‘Linked in’, ‘Instagram’ or one of the many other social media accounts, your picture might come up before you scroll very far down the webpage and you will at least be able to see if you are happy with the ones you can find.  I also find it alarming when I discover the ones that you did not actually take yourself. You can be tagged by a friend whose group photo you appear in and, if you are, your picture might just pop up; and that is before we start thinking about what has been written.

The important thing is that if you find something you are not happy with which can be changed you have to know that it is there first so it has to be worth doing.  Vanity can be seen as   I have found that taking an occasional look at myself in the electronic mirror can be eye-opening, memory provoking and an informative.

There often will be a few personal details that you cannot do anything about apart from arranging to add writings to remind people that what they have read is inaccurate after the initial damage (no matter how minor) has been done.  

If you are one of those who has never dabbled in the ‘www.’ world, why not ask an IT savvy friend if you can have an occasional look in their online mirror…  

LY, Lewisham.