The world is small and has become even smaller with the introduction of social networks. I look at my Facebook’s friend list and see names that I do not even recognize. These people have complete access to my educational background, my favorite movies and can see where I ate last night. It seems I have no privacy. The definition of privacy is the state or condition of being free from being observed by other people. By definition, if you have a social networking page you do not have privacy. The so called “privacy” that people want is the ability to control who views their private information, yet people can’t even control that. A person can block an unwanted friend from their Facebook, but that is nothing compared to the number of people who are able to view your Facebook on a daily basis. The article by Susan B. Barnes, “A Privacy Paradox”, discusses how marketers are able to target their products to teens based off information those teens put onto social networking sites. This is not why teens use social networking sites. Yet, there seems no way to stop them, except maybe this way:
Though the video is overdramatic, it brings to attention that we are constantly being viewed. Saying that makes me sound like a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but it doesn’t make it less true. The article, “A Privacy Paradox” also discusses privacy solutions. How our lack of privacy can be solved by social, technical and legal solutions. I don’t think this is the case. Our social networking sites are a social convention. We post our thoughts and feelings for the world to see and it is socially acceptable, and I feel there is no easy way to fix that. Our social networking pages, be that Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram are constantly being viewed. Hashtags even makes it easier for people to find our pages. All I have to do is type in #dexterfinale and low and behold there is someone’s rant about the disappointing finale to Dexter. I have never met this person, but I know that one of their favorite TV shows is Dexter, well at least it was. No matter how many blocks or privacy settings you have, this invasion of privacy seems unstoppable. Isn’t that terrifying? Or is it? I honestly find it all very disturbing and honestly creepy, yet should I? Maybe this lack of privacy is just a norm that we will all come to except one day. Right now, it seems strange that someone you have never met before, who lives half way across the world can read your most intimate thoughts. Or that a marketer can learn that people your age really don’t like a certain product based of your Facebook. Maybe privacy is nothing more than a distant memory. Is privacy a lost norm or can it be achieved once again, and if so by what means?
It would be a terrible thing to have to remember or think back to the good old days when an individual could feel safe from prying eyes. The digital age has produced many opportunities for people to express themselves but not enough to protect them from who they express themselves to. After reading Barnes’s essay, I also grew a little uncomfortable with the openness of social media platforms and decided to review my own Facebook privacy settings. When reviewing Facebook’s ad policy, I came across this: “Facebook does not give third party applications or ad networks the right to use your name or picture in ads. If we allow this in the future, the setting you choose will determine how your information is used.” This statement is not going to help me sleep any better. Here Facebook hints that ad companies may not only access your personal content without your knowledge, let alone your consent, but also may be able to use it for a profit. I agree that this is certainly terrifying, however, I don’t believe it’s a norm social media users should come to accept. People have a right to their privacy and the power to decide who is allowed to view, use, and share their personal data.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. You have no such thing as “privacy” when you are registered on a social media network. When you do try to navigate through the privacy settings they are slightly aggravating. Either you can hide your profile from everyone or you can customize to your liking but that is a lengthy process if you have tons of friends. For these social media networks to make money, they let advertisement companies scan your profiles and feed you ads that are to your interest. This whole process is slightly invasive. But then again users should expect these kinds of things if they are going to layout their entire life online. Any demographic information you share online will spread through online like a virus attracting ad companies or finding old friends. Now days people are all about #selfies. As annoying as they are, they tell us so much from where you are, what you are doing, what you wear, what you like, etc. It’s almost like putting a surveillance camera in your home. Once your life is online it’s hard to be private in this world.
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