In the age of new media, it may appear that users of social media have completely forsaken privacy as a value. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2012, 91 percent of teen social media users posted photos of themselves, which is up from 79 percent in 2006. Seventy-one percent posted their school name, which is up from 49 percent. And a staggering 20 percent shared their cell phone number, which is up from only 2 percent. While we are now sharing information on a scale never seen before, this does not mean that preserving a decent level of privacy online is impossible--but it is a lot more complicated.
The way we usually approach privacy just doesn't translate into the online world. Participating in social media communities requires we share information we wouldn't have even thought of putting out into the world for all to see pre-internet. From a legal standpoint, privacy is viewed as an individual's sole responsibility, but even when one does all the right things to protect their information, the delicately interconnected nature of social media networks can make these efforts fruitless.
Unfortunately, there is no perfect formula for achieving privacy in social media contexts. However, social media users are getting smarter and discovering increasingly inventive ways to keep their online activities as private as possible.
A particularly inventive tactic found in a study conducted by new media researchers Danah Boyd and Alice Marwick is of young woman who, as a child in the foster care system, found out that her online activity was frequently being reviewed by people working in the system in order to keep tabs on her. As would be the natural reaction of any teenager, she felt totally scrutinized and needed to find a solution.
In order to carry out her activities online privately, she made apt use of Facebook’s ‘deactivate’ function, which once put into action essentially makes it appear as though that Facebook account does not exist at all, but the account can be re-activated completely simply by logging in again. This young woman would log on to use her account, and when she was finished simply deactivated her account again, removing any trace of her ever being on Facebook and granting her complete privacy on the site. Best idea ever?
While it is true that by virtue of using social media we cannot enjoy the same level of privacy that we used to, this doesn't have to take the fun out of the experience. The trick is to be aware of just how far your content can reach, and be strategic in keeping it in the circles that you want it to. And sometimes, it means employing MacGyver-like tactics like the young woman in foster care.
Privacy will indeed be a challenge in the future, but as long as we familiarize ourselves with how our information can travel, there is still hope that we can update our statuses in peace.
