Sharing passwords



Image Credit: S. Diddy on Flickr

The NY Times article Young, in Love and Sharing Everything, Including a Password describes a new way couples in this era are showing their affection for one another: Sharing passwords. This new sign of affection is seen as an important sign of trust between a couple, and the pressure of sharing passwords is compared to the pressures of having sex (between a teen couple). Sharing passwords can also be very dangerous, which is expressed in this article. When relationships "sour," people use the the power they have over the other person's password and use it against them. The article also notes that passwords are shared for various other reasons, such as parents trying to monitor the thing their children do on the Internet. Another reason for the password swapping is for students who need to study swapping with other classmates so that their passwords are changed and the temptation to surf the internet is reduced.


Image Credit: Thembi Ford (Clutch Magazine)



      The author references individuals who share passwords and studies to prove his position on the changing society. For example, after visiting a high school and interviewing Tiffany Carandang, a senior, and her view on couples sharing their password, the author transitions into why sharing passwords can be dangerous. The author then provides anecdotes of when relationships go sour and how password swapping goes awry. The author also references a telephone survey done by the  the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which found that girls were twice more likely than boys to share their passwords, and addresses how this may effect a relationship in a negative manner.The author also references Sam Biddle, who called password sharing "a linchpin of intimacy," and gave advice to individuals who are asked to share their passwords, regardless of the countless amounts of people who regret sharing them.The references made by the author give him authority, mainly because his position is not just a result of personal opinion, but also a wide range of factual information provided in the article. The author also adds logos by showing the reader how devastating sharing passwords can be, and how they effect the lives of people. This makes the reader wonder why so many teens are still sharing their passwords with others, even though it is guaranteed that their relationship will go "sour." The author taps into the emotion of the reader by describing the emotional attachment sharing passwords have and how they portray the "ultimate sign of trust," in the beginning of the article, before addressing why sharing passwords can be dangerous.

            I liked this article because it talks about how sharing passwords shows the trust in today's relationships, and also how they can go bad. I also agree with the author's point on how society is changing so quickly that a letterman jacket or an exchange of bracelets is no longer the sign of a couple. Every aspect of society is changing, including how love is proclaimed. What I just can't understand is why there's even a reason for sharing passwords. I think relationships at such a young age are petty and almost always don't work out. WHY BOTHER?