In today’s social media-driven world, privacy seems to be intangible. We live in a society of friending, following, linking, posting and checking in. Every action, thought or “like” can be recorded for the entire Internet to see, but only by our own will.
Many people might say online privacy does not exist anymore because of the takeover of social media. For some, it’s just an accepted fact that with the introduction of the Internet, there is less online privacy. Many Internet users are more open with what they put online because with the advancement of the Web, the world is a smaller and more social place. We have multiple personal and professional reasons for maintaining a strong online presence.
[quote]While social media has made it easier for people to give up their privacy or to make their information more public, the number of social media outlets available for usage has nothing to do with how private our personal information is online.[/quote]
In fact, many college students are encouraged to have a strong Web presence. If we Google our names, our LinkedIn profiles or electronic resumes should come up as one of the first links if we’ve used search engine optimization (SEO) techniques properly. Having several outlets in which you can be reached, most of which are electronic, is imperative to keep up with the rapidly evolving online climate that professionals are seeking in their current and future employees.
But then, what of privacy? Are we to give up our right to keep our identity and personal information secure in order to be more reachable or social media savvy?
Having Web presence is important, but we have to be smart about what we’re putting on the Internet. We need to remember how it’s going to be viewed by the public and remember that, potentially, the whole world can see what we put online. It's crucial to know the privacy policies of all social media platforms we use, and what settings are available to us, before posting personal information to our profiles. All social media websites have a policy somewhere on their website, and it’s important to know what is or is not protected by their policy, as well as what you can make private. If the policy is something you aren’t comfortable with, don’t join that website.
The concept of privacy has evolved since the introduction of the Internet, and even more dramatically, with the introduction of social media. We now live in an electronic age where “stalking” others’ Facebook profiles is the social norm, and celebrities’ thoughts and feelings can be accessed instantaneously through a tweet. There seems to be no bounds to what we can put online, and this has led many to claim that social media has caused a trend of piracy on privacy.
While social media has made it easier for people to give up their privacy or to make their information more public, the number of social media outlets available for usage has nothing to do with how private our personal information is online. That is solely our responsibility as social media users, and we must use good judgment about what we post online and who is able to see that content.
In the end, it’s simply having common sense about the way you use social media and what personal information you post. Whether society believes that more social media outlets means less privacy or not, we have the ability to decide who sees what and which platforms we use.