Privacy in a social media world? Is it gone forever?

As we continue to advance farther forward into the 21st century with new devices and technology , it becomes convenient and more complex . All the bells and whistles incorporated into the cutting edge devices have made life easier and far more simpler relative to 10 , 20 years ago and so on.

With this in mind , an issue germane to the evolution of social networking platforms and communication devices rears it’s head.The question has emerged on multiple occasions in this day and age , and its are we still private in a digital world?

Are we private or not? Let’s take a closer look at this issue and examine it in greater detail. Social Media has come a long way . We can take for granted the new apps and features that is programmed into place online or in the palm of our hand. With that said , we now have cameras built into our Macs and I phones , we can take photos and videos of special moments in our lives and have fun with it.Social Media networks like Youtube ,Facebook and Twitter allows us to post these images and make it public if desired. Since that point, it has now become a habitual trend where anybody who has a camera phone takes videos or photos of anything and anyone and posts it on a social network . When that is done , that content goes viral .

When any content of a person or something else goes viral , it is no longer contained . The world knows who you are , especially if posted on networks such as Youtube . Even photos that are posted on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram etc.

In addition to this , there is another issue related to privacy that also begs the question , when corporations or the government collect data about a person and everything about them , what do they really do with it? Furthermore , your online activity. When you research your favorite shoe store, you probably didn’t realize you left footprints about your searches and interests etc. The next time you use the internet , you wonder why the internet knows what you want and what your interests are.

Evaluating this carefully , it is without a doubt that , consequently , the digital age now is no longer private due to these changes in technology and social platforms. According to a report of Americans . Polls conducted indicate that Americans are deeply concerned about their online privacy.The poll indicates that 31% of those surveyed feel their phone calls are not secure. In addition to that , a majority ( 59% ) feel that text messaging is not safe or secure . Also, those same individuals surveyed feel their emails ( 57% ) aren’t secure. Furthermore , they have requested more privacy concerning their online activity and phone calls.This all indicated that their has to be a boundary set in place on what companies and the government can know about their people and customers. Too much information is an issue and questions the credibility between those parties.

The course of action that can be taken about this critical issue is that companies and the government cooperate with it’s customers and citizens and employ more discretion and not monitor what all individuals do online and pry into what goes on in their lives . In addition to this , establishing more rules in respects to social media and pictures and videos . Respecting a persons privacy and not putting videos or pictures of them against their wishes on social media platforms.

Tim Rayner’s understanding of the changes in our world regarding social networks and devices etc holds water. He says it best by explaining how social media has changed us and our world overall and reshaped the way we operate and communicate , and how it has impacted and changed our lives . Rayner also states how social media goes beyond the idea that it is a vehicle for exchanging information. Furthermore , he states social media is a vehicle for identity-formation, and that it involves’subjectivation’.

Consequently, I am inclined to agree with Rayner’s stance on virtual panopticon. Sharing content is how we make ourselves known and our message known. We also have to be cautious with what we say online , as the onus is on us to remember this. It’s true we are being monitored . I agree with Rayner’s prison analogy and example . He says we are both guards and prisoners, watching and implicitly judging one another as we share content, we also never know if we are being watched so we be on our best behavior online . The point in summary is that many people want to get the word out on social media . Rayner makes this clear . It is conclusive enough that we now live in a virtual panopticon society. Rayner also points out that in sharing online, we are playing to a crowd. To a degree we acknowledge this . The crowd acknowledges the content and it is passed on .The identity is key when content is shared to the audience.

References:

1) http://www.techlicious.com/blog/pew-internet-research-adult-privacy-study/