It's no longer just Big Brother who's watching you anymore

Don’t get me wrong, I think the internet is wonderful. How else could I get away with publishing this drivel in the privacy of my own home for the rest of the world to read (or realistically, just you). And I love the fact that research is now a doddle. As a young freelance journalist any article would involve countless trips to the library, many phone calls (perish the thought) and days and days spent waiting for background material to arrive in the post. But there are a few downsides to the WWW. People we lost touch with, quite voluntarily, 30 years ago start to come out of the woodwork and expect some sort of correspondence to ensue. Spooky. Also, having teenage children makes me realise just how linked-in we really are. I only realised recently that when my son is on the computer, chances are he has allowed the rest of the world to view him on webcam. That’s all very well, but it also means that I’m live to half the glamorous 16-year-olds in the county when I wander haplessly into the study in my old dressing gown and specs. He even has a microphone now so that he can speak to his friends with his actual voice while looking at them at the same time. It’s almost – well, like meeting them in person.