Privacy
New media, similar to other growing applications of technology in the digital age we live in today, is faced with the enormous challenge of privacy. Many of us find ourselves asking where does it end and why our privacy isn't truly our own anymore. With the fields of
big data and data mining growing in popularity and importance, our personal
data is now much more than our own. Social networking and media sites sell our
data essentially to the highest bidder with lack of concern of what this
information is being used for. Many users unknowingly sign over the rights for
these large conglomerate companies to do this without even knowing. This is due
in part because of the workings of privacy policies and the intricacies they
entail, such as that of Facebook where an article in the Atlantic Wire article by Greenfield displayed how a relative to
Mark Zuckerberg himself was unfamiliar with the privacy policies of Facebook
and lashed out when a picture of her family was shared with the web without her
knowledge and approval. This is a crucial downside to social networking and
affects billions of users on these platforms daily. Although you may take
extra precautions in allowing your personal data to be mined or even delete
your social media account, advanced algorithms which are currently well
developed and easily accessible, are able to deduct information about your
personal life, such as what you do for fun or your political affiliation from
the simple profiles of your friends who have social media accounts. New media poses significant and real-life threats to our autonomy and privacy which affect the way we make individual choices as well as feel the burden of a presence that is constantly seeking to manipulate our personal data and use it to control our actions subconsciously.
Hello Kesham,
ReplyDeleteI agree, privacy in this day and age is no longer private and that is a scary thought. A person's life will never be 100% private unless a person lives in the mountains with no technology or communcation with the outside world. A person's information can become public even if they took the necessary precautions of keeping private. There are so many social media sites and technology that it is difficult sometimes to keep track of where your personal information is. In order to succeed professionally, nowadays social media involvement along with technological advancements are necessary. We all accept to terms and policies without reading it completely and thoroughly so consumers are partly at fault. However, if we decline the terms and policies we are unable to use the platform or device so it is a double edge sword. Either we decline and go without social media and technology or blindly accept to have our information sold to advertisement companies that try to make money off our information. It is important to understand where our information is heading and if you value your privacy, it should be a priority to understand and take proper precautions for privacy.