I think everyone likes to think they have privacy. By privacy I mean a sense that your information that you desire to keep to yourself, can remain unknown by others. We do things everyday in the privacy of our own, apartments, homes, cars, computers etc. The assignment for this week asks us to question ourselves, how private are these moments truly?
I think the article Social Network Sites: Public? Private? Or What? By Danah Boyd was very correct by saying that many of us use technologies such as Facebook and Myspace with the same candor as an “elephant in a china shop.” We post ignorantly thinking that just our friends are looking at our site or people very similar to us. Often we don’t think about consequences that could arise down the road. We don’t think about the possibility of future employers, stalkers, or even our mothers as viewers. What makes matters even worse is that we are not only affected by what we post but what others post as well. Let’s be honest, we’ve all had friends who’ve posted some less than stellar comments on our walls. Sites like Facebook give us the opportunity to shape ourselves in our own desired way. If someone posts a picture it may be easy to disassociate yourself with it by name, but once someone recognizes you who needs a name anyway?
I first think of safety. We have all heard about those horrible stories where people meet over the internet and one turns out to be a murderer or a pedophile (like the popular To Catch a Predator Series.) When I use Facebook I never post my address or cell phone number, although it is an option. Many people say that being anonymous is one of the best parts to being an internet user. The fact is any person can portray themselves as someone else, and we just have to be aware of who we talk to. I know personally I don’t use any dating sites, or chat rooms, or communicate with people I don’t know.
The next thing I have recently begun to think about is professionalism. I am currently applying to graduate business school. Business schools are notorious for searching sites and using search engines to collect information about potential candidates. I also think about future employers. I always untag any pictures that put me in an “unfavorable” light. I am over the legal drinking age so holding alcohol beverages in photos isn’t illegal, but it doesn’t exactly portray me in a professional manner.
The last thing I generally think about is financial security. When using bank, credit card, or social security information I do get a little nervous. I have now begun to check that I have a secure connection (thanks to this class), that has eased my reservations somewhat. I always think about hackers and if they can hack government files, or NASA, then my bank account information can’t be too difficult of a target!
The Wikipedia article on Internet privacy did little to quell my fears overall: “Experts in the field of Internet privacy have a consensus that Internet privacy does not really exist. Privacy advocates believe that it should exist.”
In an article by Bob Sullivan he states “privacy is not a currency. It is much more like health or dignity or well-being; a source of anxiety when weak and a source of quiet satisfaction when strong.” I believe that Sullivan is correct; people don’t like to think of their loss of privacy because it does cause mental anguish. Before I even started writing this blog I did something I never had done before, I googled my name. This is scary, things were found back from the 7th grade. I ran a 15K road race about eight years ago, and still my exact finishing time is recorded out there for anyone to read. Finishing a road race isn’t exactly crucial information, but it does make a point; Information good, bad, indifferent will be available to anyone with a click of a mouse for a very long time. So watch what you say…and do. In response to this I thought about other things on the internet that I do that people could potentially see. I decided to go through and update some of my security settings on my facebook and email. As for my race results, it looks like it’s going to be there for awhile...
Next time your on the net, you might just have to ask yourself…how private is this moment?
2 comments:
Excellent discussion! This post is thoughtful and well-organized. Keep up the great work.
I really enjoyed your blog - what a great quote to pick out for your title. Your organization was great - I really appreciated how you broke down your concerns with internet privacy into three clean-cut categories.
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