Recently, social networking has definitely been on the rise. I’ve never seen so many groups, businesses, and people so involved in one type of media. On one hand it is a great thing. Social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, are places where all these different things can come together, interact, promote, and advertise. On the other hand, there are many risks involved by putting yourself out there on the Internet, like privacy issues. A question that constantly runs through my mind whenever discussing this topic is, “When is it ever going to be enough?”
What I mean when addressing this question is at what point will a site be satisfying enough. Constantly there are updates and changes being made with or without the consumer’s approval that are supposed to make the site “better,” but are they? A lot of these changes have to deal with what information can be passed around and just trying to see how much they can get out of their users. I remember way back when the most popular networking site was Xanga, a simple blog where you could just write whatever you wanted and see anyone’s information. Yes, there were major privacy issues. However, at least for me, this was only the beginning of the whole “watch what you put online” crisis. Next came Myspace, a much bigger privacy issue. Unlike Xanga, Myspace asked for a lot more personal information. And now, Facebook, one of the highest used social networking sites, asks for a lot more specific information. At what point will these sites stop asking for more information?
On the whole, I feel that there will be a negative trend in accordance to the privacy issue of these social networking sites. How are we able to know for sure that some of the things we don’t want to be shared aren’t being shared? It’s very scary to know that once something goes online, it never goes away.
As for my usage of social networking sites, I can say that I do have access all of the time. Now with smartphones, there isn’t much you can’t do while not on the computer. Even though I just ranted about all the information sucked out of us through these sites, I do spend a lot of my time on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. However, I am very careful about what information I post and who is allowed to see it. Most of the time, I use these sites just to see what everyone else is up to; creepy I know, but really everyone does it. Occasionally I will update my status, but for the most part I don’t like people knowing exactly what I’m doing all of the time. My main usage of these sites is to keep in touch with old friends or basically killing time. A definite positive part about social networking sites is that it allows the lazy people to keep in contact with other people and the world. With only a few clicks, you can see what your friends, old classmates, and family are up to, along with what’s trending in the world and popular news topics.
I agree with your observation that as time goes by, more and more personal information is being requested by social networking sites. What concerns me the most is that people are more than willing to just go along with the trend and share private details about their lives because everyone else is doing it. As the years go by, it will be interesting to see just how much people are willing to share with the world for the sake of fitting in with the rest of society.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a point about internet privacy issues that I previously had not considered when discussing privacy: giving information to the actual website. I used to think that if I didn't want something on Facebook, such as information or pictures, then I wouldn't post it. But you're right: before we even shared things with Facebook friends, we gave info to Facebook and whatever corporate connections they have. Still,
ReplyDeleteI'm not too worried. People have always been social creatures. When people lived in villages way back when, everyone knew everyone else and whatever everyone else was doing. Our world has since grown and become more complicated, but the need to stay connected is still there, if not amplified by social networking technology. I'm also a believer in the power to social networks to do good for a person's life. I could be too optimistic...
I definitely agree with your comment on your negative feelings towards social networking and privacy. I was shocked to hear the privacy statements of Facebook. Maybe this is due to my own negligence in not carefully reading the terms and services, but also, I feel this information is clearly meant to be kept pretty quiet. As facebook is affecting millions daily, I feel it is important to be very clear as to where our information is being distributed. On the other hand, once something is put on the web, it is out in the internet world and can’t ever permanently be taken back. I understand the argument in that if you are posting all of this information on your profile, you should be aware that anyone can read it, at least to some extent (possibly limited to “friends”). However, while I am not entirely set on how much “privacy” I think is necessary, I do believe we, or I, should pay more attention to such issues.
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