Another day, another craze… This time, it’s taking adults back to their pre-teen days, and getting kids away from the TV and out into the fresh air. Well, kind of…
Having been released on the 6th July, Pokemon GO has taken the world by storm, overtaking well-established platforms in terms of daily active users. With all the hype and excitement around the app, there have also been some rumblings about safety.
Sadly, in this day and age, we really can’t be too careful. Unless, of course, you are playing Pokemon GO, then all forms of ‘normal behaviour’ go right out of the window! No, it’s NOT ok to trespass on private property looking for a Charizard! Ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but the sentiment is the same. It’s one thing for evil-doers to look for opportunities to take advantage of others through the game, but when we hear bad news of how someone chose to break the law in the hope of a rare find, it begs the question: WTF?! Surely, on some level, a flag, and a blinking red light should come up, and you should stop to think “What am I doing?” (Do not even get me started on playing the game while driving.)
What is it about convenience, and a game, that makes people throw common sense out of the window?
Talking about common sense and convenience, Pokemon GO is not the only location-based service that has a few scratches on its ‘convenience’ halo. Just the other week, a woman was assaulted after getting into what she thought was a legitimate Uber. I’m not assigning blame, but checking the licence plate and the photo of the driver before getting in seems to be a no-brainer. Especially for a woman travelling on her own… It’s stories like these that have my husband forbidding me to use Uber on my own, and stories like this that make me not fight him on the issue.
Lastly, what might be raising a few eyebrows is the ‘check-in’ function on Facebook. Now, I should add here that I am a big fan, so this isn’t me trying to troll. I mean, checking-in to Ellis Park to watch the Lions beat the Highlanders, and thus moving into the semi-final has bragging rights attached to it. But again, a word to the wise: If you know who all your friends on Facebook are- great- if not, perhaps checking in somewhere other than home lets others know there is an opportunity to take advantage of an empty house, and no, I don’t mean for a street party.
So, to make a long story short, just be careful, be aware, and practice that good ol’ common sense. We are all adults here… Well, kind of! 😉
