PRIVACY IN SOCIAL MEDIA
By Nate Stapleton
When it comes to social media, users expect that their
personal information is private. I am
currently involved in multiple social media platforms, two of which are
Facebook and Twitter. Both Facebook and
Twitter have been under the microscope when it comes to users’ privacy concerns. I put little thought or concern on what kind
of personal information I was revealing on social media but now it is time to take
a step back and think about the consequences that come with doing so.
Studies on social media users reveal that they are somewhat
unaware of the risks that come with privacy (Choon, 2018). Social media users put their real names on
platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in order to benefit from “self-exposure”
rather than thinking about the risks that come with it (Gross & Acquisiti,
2005). When one practices “self-exposure”
they are visibly exposing themselves and everything they post on social media
to their followers or anyone else. By
doing so, their privacy is at risk.
Showing too much on social media can have its
consequences. An example of this comes
from a British trainee that learned the hard way about posting on social media
(Choon, 2018). Trainee Kevin Colvin gave
his employer a false reason for not being able to make it to work. Instead he went to a Halloween party and
posted a picture of himself at the event on Facebook. One of his colleagues saw the picture, showed
it to his employer, and he was deservingly let go (Choon, 2018). When a user exposes oneself like this, it is
likely to end poorly due to the fact that there is no privacy in social media.
Even so, Facebook and Twitter users have beliefs on social
media that may be surprising. Choon
highlights the studies found by Raynes-Goldie (2010):
“Scholars have examined users’ privacy concerns. Raynes-Goldie
(2010) conducted an ethnographic study of the privacy practices of 20 Canadian
users. Most of them were concerned about the control of personal information
during social interactions (social privacy). According to the researcher, users
care less about the use of personal information by institutions and third
parties (institutional privacy)” (Choon, 2018).
After the researcher immersed himself in the study of
privacy in social media we see that users are not worried about their personal information
and content when it comes to institutions (Choon, 2018).
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have great
benefits but privacy will always be an issue.
As long as users are putting their personal information on these
platforms, other users and even members working for Facebook and Twitter can
see what users post and information you may think is private. Taking a step back and checking what one
reveals on social media may not be such a bad idea.
References
Boyd D. (2009). American
teen sociality in networked publics Berkeley, CA: University of California,
Berkeley
Kwok Choon, M. J. (2018). Revisiting the Privacy Paradox
on Social Media: An Analysis of Privacy Practices Associated with Facebook and
Twitter. Canadian Journal of
Communication, 43(2), 339-358.
Retrieved from Communication and Mass Media Complete database.
Gross R. & Acquisiti A. (2005). Information
revelation and privacy in online social networks (the facebook case) Research presented at the workshop on
privacy in the Electronic Society (WPES). Alexandria, VA
Raynes-Goldie K. (2010). Aliases, creeping, and wall
cleaning: understanding privacy in the age of facebook. First Monday Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2775/2432
Word Count: 473
Nate,
ReplyDeleteThis is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, your post makes good use of academic research the examines issues of privacy in digital space. This certainly fits in with your group's "theme week" issue. Equally important, it addresses some core concerns in contemporary media studies.
On the other hand, formatting issues, including, but not limited to your use of "block quotes" and APA citation style undermine your efforts. Then there's the broken link to the image you embedded in your post.
Finally, the word count falls a bit short of our mark (500-600 words).
In sum, you ought to work on your proof reading skills and take a bit more time, effort and care in crafting an essay that fulfills the basic requirements for this and other assignments.
22/30 pts.
Nate, just a few things of note, some that go along with what Professor Howley has already mentioned.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, make sure to list your title only once at the top of your page, listing it a second time is redundant.
Second, I tend to stray away from block quotes whenever possible - a bit less reliance on direct citations lets us hear what YOU have to say about a specific topic (especially since this is a very brief post). If you are citing; however, be sure that your text format is consistent with our guidelines, not Times New Roman.
Nate,
ReplyDeleteI think your post brings up many good points regarding privacy in media. I wish you would've talked more about Snapchat as well. I think it is interesting because most users believe the snaps will "disappear," but do they really? And are they retrievable somehow? I think most people don't really think about Snapchat as much as they should. Just something to think about. But I know people often post without thinking about the consequences or who will see it. You had a good example of how the man's colleagues saw a picture posted on Facebook when he was supposed to be sick. On the one hand, we should be able to live our lives and post what we want without getting in "trouble," but we should also be thinking about who we are sharing these aspects of our lives with. It wasn't always that your ex from 10 years ago could still see what is going on in your life now (as just one example to think about).