Nowadays, it might not seem so – even if Facebook or Twitter profiles are protected or “locked,” if you’re friends with colleagues who see you tagged in a picture of something unprofessional or unflattering, you’d better make sure certain friends don’t see it or it could mean your job.
People are oversharing, which can get them into trouble, broadcasting exactly where they are on Foursquare and Gowalla, and uploading photos of personal moments, like the birth of their first child, for all to see.
It might be safe to say that, with any of these sites, we don’t have any privacy. Instead of living in private and making certain parts of our lives public, we’re living in public, and choosing what parts of our lives to keep private.
So, “does privacy exist anymore?” What do you think?
I wonder if the long-term effects of this loss of privacy will be more tolerance or less? I’m betting on more over the long-run, but it’s best for now to be very careful. Think before posting anything anywhere – “Is this something I want my Mom to see – and her friends, and their kids, and 3 million people I’ve never met?”
Great question. I think that so long as you are aware that anything you put on the web could be viewed by anyone, mixed with a little common sense, means that we have massively enhanced our ability to communicate and build communities of like minded people. If you want privacy, don’t put stuff on the web.
I saw a piece on AC 360 CNN I believe, where his guest said forget privacy. In less than 5 years there will be nowhere to hide. His quote, “Get used to it.” Your information is and will be out there. Pretty easy to believe with cameras showing up everywhere and Face book, twitter, Linkedin just to name some of the social media sites. Things that make you go Hmmmm