Some of you probably know who Jeff Jarvis is. If not, click his name. I have included a link to his blog. He did an interview with The Next Web Social Media, where he makes some interesting points about the evolution of local news and what that will mean in a world where mobile technology has evolved into the realm of omnipresent technology (my term not his). He also talks about privacy and the benefits of living in such a public world and what that means for collaboration with readers and sources.
Presently, we are struggling to decide how much information floating around the cyberverse is too much. If you think about it, the Internet is a technological hive. It creates a symbiotic or parasitic relationship (depending on your perspective) between you and virtually the rest of the world. It also never forgets. Once something goes out on the web it stays out there. With that in mind, people are becoming more concerned about privacy and there is fear setting in around social media such as Facebook.
But the problem isn’t really how much of our personal information Facebook has released to the cyberverse. Earlier I wrote about how the Internet emboldens us; it infuses us with a sense of invulnerability because we believe ourselves safe behind our keyboards. Unfortunately, that juggernaut feeling also applies to the details we will release online. Facebook didn’t force us to give up our personal information, we did that all by ourselves.
When our kids are young we teach them certain rules for survival. Look both ways before crossing the street, eat your vegetables and don’t talk to strangers. We are just starting to teach them the dangers of the Internet. Anyone who thinks they do not need to apply the same sort of judgement or discernment on the Internet when deciding who to divulge their personal secrets to as they would in a bar or at work, needs a reality check.
Sanctuary of Insanity 