Privacy Defined, or Not….
Privacy, what does it really mean today? Does it still exist? Does it mean something different to those who grew up with technology and the internet? As I reflected on these questions and quite a few more my own words rang in my ears. As I heard myself warning my children, some ten years ago not to post information about vacations or where they were online, at least until we were home. If they really needed to share they could post something after we had returned home. To my horror I learned shortly after that my in laws, who owned a local hardware store, had been sharing with their customers the fact that their son, who worked in the store, was away on vacation, or traveling, etc. At that point I started to question how much control I really had over my privacy, I felt like I might as well put a “welcome friendly burglar, we’ll be away until date” sign on the front door. I was upset, yet they were not concerned. So is privacy generational? I’m not so sure.
Historically I have been more focused on staying off of social media and the web than on it. It really wasn’t difficult since I was working and raising my children and I really had little time for sharing my life on social media, even if I had wanted to. The Social Media & Digital Cultures course in my ILT master’s program at CU Denver requires us to build a portfolio website and post blog content to it. Putting myself out there was initially a struggle for me. Between fighting to maintain some privacy in this technology centered era and not feeling terribly confident that I have much to contribute, since I am so young in my learning career in this area, I really wasn’t sure where to start. I still think I have far too much to learn yet to be posting much of value on the web, however I see where creating an intentional digital footprint while building my portfolio is a very valuable step and so onward I march in my pursuit of learning and sharing in this new era. However I also recognize the way things can take off, “go viral”, on the web and how this can be both exhilarating and terrifying. At times enough to make me wonder if I should retract from exposure and crawl back into my shell. Not because I feel I have anything to hide but some stories that surface serve as a reminder of how quickly something even innocent or unintended can launch into a nightmare.
I’d like to think the reactions are part of society becoming accustomed to the new social networking environment we live in, I’d like to believe that people are beginning to see how easily something small can blow up, and I’d like to believe they are reflecting on how easily it could happen to them, and I’d like to believe that we are coming to a point where we will have a bit of grace for one another when something potentially controversial shows up. I would like to trust we won’t jump on a bandwagon led by a team of irate horses steaming across the countryside without stopping to think first. But are we there yet?
Are we ready as a society to reserve judgment until we know the facts, and voice opinions when we have personal knowledge of a situation or subject? I’m not sure, and the ‘I’m not sure’ part of me wants to run back into its shell and away from social media, however I realize that is not realistic either. So I’ll continue to share my learning experiences and thoughts as I navigate the waters of this “new” Web 2.0.
April 19, 2018
Tags: Life, Perspective, Privacy, Reflection