Gray1

ChrisGray
English1A
November29th,2015
ProfessorHerrera
SocialMedia:Theendofprivacy
Socialmediaisausefulwaytoconnectwithothers,butcantoomuchconnectioncan
actuallybebadforus.Ifweweretoshareourentirelifestoryonsocialmedia,wewouldstrip
ourselvesofprivacy.Thisseemingnonchalantbehavioraboutprivacyisbecominganincreasing
concern,onethatwenotonlyneedtobeawareof,butonethatmustbedealtwith.Infact,I
wouldarguethattheintroductionofsocialmediaasawaytoconnectwithothers,aswellasthe
developmentoftheonlinepersona,arebreakingdownthebarriersofprivacy,allowingforwhat
mightpreviouslyhavebeenpersonalanddeeplyprotectedtobecomeeasilypublictonotjust
otheracquaintances,butlargecorporationsandourowngovernment.Thisisdangerousbecause
weasindividualsinteractwithothersontheassumptionthatweprivacyismaintained.When
thisassumptioncannolongerbemade,wewillstopcommunicatingonapersonallevel,sothat
privacyhastobemaintained.
Inordertobegindiscussingsocialmediaandhowitrelatestoprivacyissues,wemust
firstdefinewhatsocialmediais.AndreasKaplanandMichaelHaenleinstatethatsocialmediais
"agroupofInternetbasedapplicationsthatbuildontheideologicalandtechnological
foundationsofWeb2.0,andthatallowthecreationandexchangeofusergeneratedcontent"
(Kaplan&Haenlein2010).Thementionofusergeneratedcontentisofgreatimportance.Thatis

themechanismfromwhichalltheprivacyissuesderivefrom.Usersaretheonestogenerate
content,andthusinformationinvolvingthemselvesandtheirpeers.AsSimpleasynchronous
interactionmechanismshavebeenreplacedbymorecomplexcollaborationbasedsystemsin
ordertocreatecontentandavoiddelays,thecreatorsof
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thiscontent,thatis,theusersofsocialmedia,haveunwittinglysharedtheirinformationwith
unintendedindividuals.
Oneofthefirstdangersofsocialmediainregardstoprivacyistheleakingofprivate
informationtoothers.Privacyishighlyvalued,andalargenumberofpeoplewillgooutoftheir
waytoprotecttheirprivacyfromgettingleaked.However,accordingtoQuinn,SocialMedia
doesjustthat,duetoitsabilitytopreservereplicate,andscaleinformation(570).Thisrelative
easeofinformationmanipulationallowsforthedatatobeeasilyspreadacrosstheinternet
rapidly,whichisaverycleardangertotheprivacyofall.Thefactofthematteristhatsocial
mediablursthelinebetweenprivateandpublicspheres(Vitak).Vitakcitesastudydoneby
HoughtonandJoinsonsupportingthis,whenshewritesaboutanumberofprivacyviolations
Facebookusersexperience,manyresultingfromprivateinformationbeingshared
publicly(Vitak454).Facebookisapublic,notprivateforum,soanyprivateinformationthatis
sharedonthesitemaybecomemuchmorepublicthanauserintends.Therearetwodifferent
reasonsthatprivateinformationpostedontosocialmediaisleakedtoanunintendedaudience,
thosereasonsbeingcontextcollapse,andinvisibleaudiences.
ContextCollapse,accordingtoJessicaVitakis,theflatteningoutofmultipledistinct
audiencesinonessocialnetwork,suchthatpeoplefromdifferentcontestsbecomepartofa

singularpartofasingulargroupofmessagerecipients(Vitak451).Inotherwords,context
collapseiswheremultipledistinctgroupsofacquaintancesintoonesinglegroup,intermsof
communication.ContextcollapseiscausedbysocialmediasuchasFacebookandTwitter,
becausetheycombineallofyourfriendsandfollowers,respectively,intoonegroupthatall
receiveeverypostorupdateyoumaketoyoursocialmedia.Thisallowsforindividualswho
wouldotherwisenotreceivethiskindofinformationtoreceiveit.TounderstandwhyContext
Collapseisaconcernforpersonalprivacy,onemustfirstnotethat
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everyoneutilizeswhatisknownasselectiveselfpresentation.VitakcitesGoffmanwhenshe
definesselectiveselfpresentationasthe,interactionsbetweenindividualsandtheiraudienceas
aperformanceinwhichsometraitsareaccentuatedwhileothersareconcealed(452).This
immediatelymakescontextcollapseaproblem,becausewhencontextcollapsehasoccurred,that
makesitsothatindividualscannotselfpresenteffectively.Thislackofadefinedaudienceleads
toonlinetension(Vitak454),preventingpeoplefromperformingselfdisclosures,whicharean
essentialcomponentofrelationshipmaintenance(Vitak453).Whenindividualsareunableto
selfdisclose,theyareunabletomaintainhealthyrelationshipswitheachother,whichismost
assuredlyaproblem.Peopleneedclearcutboundariesforwhotheyareaddressing,
Anotherissuetobefoundwithsocialmedia,inregardstoyourfriendsandconnections,
istheideaofaninvisibleaudience,thatistosay,individuals,orgroupsthereof,thatareableto
viewcontentyoupostwithoutyoubeingaware.ThisoccursthroughFacebookduetothefact
thatanyofyourfriendsareabletoshareorlikeyourpost,resultingintheFriendsofthatFriend
seeingthatpost,andtheymakelikeit,causingtheirfriendstoviewit(Vitak454).Thiscancause

privateandpersonalinformationtoleak,becomingeasilyavailableduetoseveralfactors,such
astheavailabilityofprofileinformation,wallpostings,andincommentingactivityonthe
postingsofothers(Quinn570).Thisobviouslyisaprivacyviolation,andisaconcerntomany,
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asnoonewantstheirprivacyviolated.SoniaLivingstoneistheHeadoftheDepartmentof
MediaandCommunicationsattheLondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience(LSE).In
2008shepublishedanarticletitled"Takingriskyopportunitiesinyouthfulcontentcreation:
teenagersuseofsocialnetworkingsitesforintimacy,privacyandselfexpression"(Livingstone
2008).Thisarticleholdsagreatdealofrelevance,sinceteenagersarethebiggestriskgroup.
Oftentimesyoungpeopletendtooverlooksignsofdanger.Sinceteenagersareverykeenon
selfpresentation,theyaretheonegroupthatismostlikelytounveilexcessiveinformationabout
themselves.IntheintroductionLivingstonestatesthat"itiscommonlyheldthatatbest,social
networkingistimewastingandsociallyisolating,andatworstitallowspedophilestogroom
childrenintheirbedroomorseesteenagersluredintosuicidepactswhileparentsthinktheyare
doingtheirhomework"(Livingstone2008).WhileLivingstone'sviewsmaybeabitgrim,sheis
stillcorrectintermsofnotunderestimatingthespeedatwhichinformationaboutoneselfonthe
internetspreads.Whilebeingabletoexpressoneselffreely,peoplearestillnotinchargeofthe
informationdistributedabouttheirperson.
Anotherwaythatsocialmediaisdegradingpersonalprivacycomesfromthefactthatit
sellsprivateinformationofitsusers.Quinnsupportsthis,statingthatsocialmediaoutletssuchas
Google+andFacebookarefrequentlysponsoredbyforprofitcommercialentities...Tofinance
thecostofdevelopingandprovidingtheplatform,sponsorsmineoraccessthecommunicative

contentproducedwithintheplatformtogeneratetargetedadvertisingrevenues(Quinn569).
Becausethesesponsorsharvestthisinformationtheybecomeadditionalviewersofallthe
variouscommunicationprocessesthatgoonbetweentheusersofsocialmedia.Thisinformation
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isthenturnedintoadsandappstailormadeforeachuser.Thiscancreateahighpotentialfor
privacyviolationstooccur,asallofthemessagesandnotificationsareintercepted,monitored,
andredirectedtounintendedrecipients,namelytargetedmarketersandappproviders.When
writingabouthowtonavigatelegalissueswithsocialmedia,BradleyShearnotesthatWhen
socialmediaplatformsoffertheirservicesforfreeitgenerallymeansthatitsusersarenot
customers,theyaretheproductbeingsold(Shear7).Thisisariskthatmanyareawareof(Quinn
569),butatthesametimethepotentialformisuseoftheinformationisextremelyhigh.
Justassocialmediagivesaccesstoprivateuserinformationtoadvertisersandothersuch
companies,sotoodotheygrantthisinformationtothegovernment,allowingthemtomonitor
yourprivateinformationonline.TheNationalSecurityAgency(NSA)has,inthepast,collected
bothpublicandprivatedataaboutus,theusers,fromvirtuallyanythingwedoonline.Thisis
evidencedbythecaseofEdwardSnowden,wholeakedinformationfromtheNSAdisclosingthe
amountofinformationtheagencyhadgonethrough,includingtelephonecalls,email,websites
visited,andwebsitesearches,aswellasmetadatagiventothembyGoogle(deSouza19).When
thiswasreleased,itshowedAmericathattheirgovernmentwaswatchingtheireverydigital
move,andanyandallprivatedetailsareaccessibletothegovernment.Nowtobefair,onone
hand,thegovernmentneedstokeepussafefromterrorists,anarchists,andothersuchcriminals,
butontheotherhand,thegovernmenthasnoactualrighttodelveintoourprivateemailsand

socialmediamessageswithoutourpermission,andtheinformationreleasedbySnowdenmost
certainlydemonstratedthatpermissionwasnotgranted.Thatisnottosaythatthegovernment
hasnorighttodatasuchasoursearchesonGoogle,butprivateemailsandphonecallsare
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privateforareason,andthegovernmentcannotsimplyharvestallofourdatawithoutagood
reason.Thisisapressingsecurityissue,however,itisnotasimmediatelythreateningas
criminalsgettingaholdofpersonalinfo.
Afinalmajorconcernaboutonesprivacyonsocialmediathatneedstobeaddressed
comesfromconcernsaboutonespersonalandfinancialsecurityonthenet.Accordingtoan
articleinUSAtoday,citingthewordsofVivekSingh,theassistantprofessoroflibraryand
informationscienceintheSchoolofCommunicationandInformationatRutgersUniversity,
NewBrunswick,NJ,theinformationgainedfromjustfouruniquetransactionsisenoughto
identifyaperson90%ofthetime.(10)Allthatisneededfromsuchtransactionsisthedate,
location,timeanddollaramount,anditcanbeusedtoidentifythatasingleindividualeitherdid
ordidnotmakethosetransactions(11).Thisinformationcanthenbecrossreferencedwith
transactionactivityonvarioussocialmediaaccounts,andallowacriminaltoidentifyapersons
nameandlinkthemtoasetoftransactions,andthencollectprivateinformationaboutthem.As
statedbySingh,Justsharinginformationaboutfoursuchtransactionsonsocialmediathe
locationandtimeofshoppingforshoesonsaleonaSunday,forinstancecouldbeusedby
somebodyelsetoidentifyapersoninalargedatabaseofusers(11).Itdoesnttakealotof
informationononessocialmediatoleavethemselvesvulnerabletoidentitytheftfrom
somethinglikethis,andgivenhoweasyitistogainaccesstothisinformation(simplyfriendinga

friendoftheindividual,findingauserwithlowerprivacysettings,oridentifyingaweaknessin
privacycontrols).Sharingthissortofinformationalsoexposestheusertotheriskofrobbery,a
concernvoicedbysomeinQuinnsstudy.Oneparticipantinthestudynotes,well,youknow,
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whenyoutellthemyouregoingtoyourkidssoccergame,ifsomebodyknowswhereyoulive
thatstheperfectopportunitytogotoyourhouse,knowingthatyourenotgoingtobethere,and
youknow,burglarizingitorwhatever(574).Thisidentifiesthatifathiefisabletoidentify
whentheuserwillbeoutoftheirhouseforanextendedperiodoftime,theycansimplyrobit.
Thuspresentinglocationinformationortransactioninformation,eveninformationassimpleas
whenandwhereyouboughtaspecificitem,canposeseveresecurityriskstotheindividual
postingtheinformation.
Notmanywouldclaimtonotcareaboutprivacy,infact,multiplestudiesthathavebeen
donesupportthatusersdocare(Quinn562).Yetinspiteofthis,otherstudiesshowthatusersdo
notunderstandand/ordonotengageprivacycontrolstocontaindisclosure,donotreadprivacy
policieswhenregisteringonaWebsite,anddisclosesensitiveordetailedgeolocation
informationthereareapparentdisconnectsbetweenusersstated[privacy]preferencesand
actualbehaviors(Quinn,p563).Whydoesthisdisconnectoccur?KellyQuinn,inheracademic
journalarticlesuggeststhattheremaybeecologicalcausesforthis,statingthatourdefinitionof
privacy,andhowhighlyweprotectit,andhowweprotectit,changesastheenvironmentweare
inchanges,andthatasthesocialenvironmenthasshiftedmoreintothedigitalrealmofsocial
media,somusttheusersadapt.InQuinnsstudy,sheevaluatesagroupofmiddleagedadults
strategiesforprotectingtheirprivacy,andcombinesthemtocreateanoverallpictureofhow

FothandHearndescribethesocialenvironmentweadapttoasonewiththreedistinct,yet
interconnectedlayers.

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Socialmediaisnotevilordangerous,butneitherisitbenevolentorkind.Itisadigital
socialnetworkthatallowsustoconnectwithmultiplepeopleinmucheasierwaysthanbeforeit
wascreated.However,asitallowsustoconnectmore,wemustbeawareoftheissuesitbrings,
especiallyinregardstoprivacyoftheuser.Informationwepostcanleaktounintended
individuals,advertisersharvestourpersonalinformationformaterialgain,thegovernment
monitorsouractivityonalltypesofmediaandcommunicationforms,andcriminalsuseour
informationtoperformidentitytheftorrobusifwearenotcareful.Inlightofalloftheserisks
wemustsimplyremainvigilantandawareofalloftheserisks,andtakestepstocounteractthem,
suchascarefullycontrollingwhatweinformationwedecidetoprovidetooursocialmedia,
takingstepstonotfriendindividualswhowouldspreadourinformationcarelessly,orfailing
that,createasecondaccounttofriendthosekindsofpeople.

WorksCited
Quinn,Kelly."AnEcologicalApproachToPrivacy:DoingOnlinePrivacyAtMidlife."
JournalOfBroadcasting&ElectronicMedia
58.4(2014):562580.
AcademicSearch
Premier
.Web.30Nov.2015.
Theauthor,aprofessorattheUniversityofIllinoisinChicago,usesdatagainedfromthe
interviewsof23middleagedadultstoexaminethevariousprivacybehaviorsandstrategiesused
bysaidadults,andanalyzehowthesebehaviorsandstrategiesinteractwiththetechnological,
social,anddiscursiveelementsoftheirsocialmediaenvironment,specificallyhowthese
behaviorssolveissuesfoundineachdimension,andwhichdimensionisutilizedtoallowthe
behavior.Theauthorsfindingsendupsheddinglightonhowtoexplainandreconcilethe
existenceprivacyparadox,aswellasleavingabetterunderstandingofhowprivacyisperceived.
Shear,Bradley."5WaysToKeepSocialMediaFromBeingALegalHeadache."
THEJournal
42.1(2015):67.
AcademicSearchPremier
.Web.30Nov.2015.
Theauthor,alawyerfromMarylandspecializingintechnologylaw,outlinesthevariousways
thatsocialmediacancauselegalissuesinschool,aswellasthewaysthattheschoolcould
accidentallycauselegalissueswheninterferingwiththesocialmediaofstudents.Ofimportance
tothispaperistheportiondetailingafewoftheprivacypoliciesforcompaniesincludingGoogle
andFacebook,inreferencetoacademicsituations.

Vitak,Jessica."TheImpactOfContextCollapseAndPrivacyOnSocialNetworkSite
Disclosures."
JournalOfBroadcasting&ElectronicMedia
56.4(2012):451470.
AcademicSearchPremier
.Web.30Nov.2015.
Theauthor,aprofessorinInformationServicesattheUniversityofMaryland,discussesindepth
theimpactofcontextcollapse,andthepotentialriskstoprivacythattheexistenceofcontext
collapsecauses.Thepaperreferencesamultitudeofsources,includingmultipleacademic
journalsonthesubject,andthelanguageofthepaperiswritteninaconciseandprofessional,is
somewhatdry,manner.Furtherintothepaper,theauthorpresentsseveralidealmodelsofthe
userssocialnetworkingwhereinprivacyispreservedbytheusers,andtheusersstilldisclose
novelinformationtooneanother,soastoincreasesocialcapitalinsociety.
deSouza,Yvonne."NotJustData:PrivacyInTheDigitalAge."
Feliciter
60.5(2014):1722.
AcademicSearchPremier
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Theauthor,currentlytheheadlibrarianatColumbiaCollegeinCanada,discussestheuseby
librariesofsocialmediainoutreachprogramsandtheneedforlibrariestoreexaminewhatthe
aredoingatpresenttomakepatronsmoreawareofissuesaroundtrackingandmonitoringof
theirInternetbehavior.Shethenelaboratesonthistopic,discussingtheuseofdataasa
commoditylikeGoogle,whocollectspersonalinformationwhichisthensoldtothirdpartiesand
howlargecorporationssuchasMicrosoftandYahooaretrackingtheindividual'sInternet
activity,inadditiontohowperceptionsofprivacyhavechangedintheneardecadeandahalf
sincetheterroristattackson9/11.Thepointsshemakesonallofthesetopicsseemedinsightful
andwellthoughtout,andthelanguagewasappropriateforherintendedaudience,whichis
fellowlibrariansinthefieldutilizingsocialmediaforoutreach.

Kaplan,Andreas,&Haenlein,Michael,Usersoftheworld,unite!Thechallengesand
opportunitiesofSocialMedia
BusinessHorizons
53.1(2010):5968.
AcademicSearch
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.Web30Nov.2015
Theauthorsbeginthepaperbyacknowledginghowusefulandinterestedpeopleareaboutsocial
mediaandtheinternet.Theythengoontonotethatdespitethisinterest,thereseemstobevery
limitedunderstandingofwhatthetermSocialMediaexactlymeansTheythenbeginby
describingtheconceptofSocialMedia,anddiscusshowitdiffersfromrelatedconceptssuchas
Web2.0andUserGeneratedContent.Theythencategorizedapplicationscurrentlysubsumed
underthegeneralizedtermofsocialmediaintomorespecificcategoriesbycharacteristic:
collaborativeprojects,blogs,contentcommunities,socialnetworkingsites,virtualgameworlds,
andvirtualsocialworlds.Finally,theypresenttenpiecesofadviceforcompanieswhichdecide
toutilizeSocialMedia.Thesetenpiecesweretheportionsofthepapermostrelevanttomy
research,andIfoundthepaperasawholetobewellwrittenanddescriptiveinboththe
explanationofthevariousapplications,aswellastheadvicegiven.
Replogle,Elaine."Fame,SocialMediaUse,AndEthics."
SociologicalForum
29.3(2014):
736742.
AcademicSearchPremier
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Theauthor,aprofessorintheSociologyDepartmentattheUniversityofOregon,discussesthe
recentcontroversyoveronewomanspublicdocumentationofherstrugglewithcancer,wherein
shewascriticizedbyamemberofthemediaforbeingtooopenaboutherpersonallife.The
authorexplainsthereasoningbehindthejournalistscomments,aswellasmakingthepointthat
socialmediaisblurringthelinebetweentheprivateandpublicsectors,aswellasobscuringwhat
qualifiesasfame,andhowmuchpeopleshouldactuallyposttosocialmedia.Ifoundthepaper

tobequiteinsightfulonseveralkeyissues,namelythatinformationwegivetosocialmediacan
beandoftenismisused.

"WhatIsPrivacy?NewDefinitionNeeded."
USATodayMagazine
143.2839(2015):1011.
AcademicSearchPremier
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