Literacy in the 21st Century
Class Project
Walden University Fall 2013
In the 21st century, social networks have become a part of everyday life. Social networks present an opportunity to stay in touch, interact with different social groups, collaborate, and more. But these interactions do not come without concerns for privacy. With an endless array of direct and indirect social connections and social groups involved in online interaction, it is hard to control every aspect of personal information and privacy. Does willing engagement in social networks waive the right to privacy and freedom of speech? How much or little can be shared on a site like Facebook without negatively affecting the user? This section explores the dilemma of privacy and the risks and consequences of inadequate privacy management as they relate to sociability, professionalism, and child safety.
Privacy Risks
Most people crave connections with other people. These connections can have many positive social effects on individuals. In the article Too Many Facebook Friends, the authors mention a study by Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe (2007) who, “found that shy people experienced a substantial increase in feelings of well-being and self-esteem as a result of using Facebook” (Brandtzaeg, Luders, & Skjetne, 2010, p. 1020). On the other hand, with Facebook’s over 1.11 billion users (The Associated Press., 2012), a growing diversity of networks, and acceptance of friends we don’t know well, personal privacy is compromised more and more every day (Brandtzaeg et al., 2010).
Facebook usage, at varying levels of privacy control, presents social, professional, and child safety risks which can result in severe consequences. Socially, in our attempt to feel connected and accepted, we have shown a rise in the amount of friends we accept whether we know them or not. In a 2012 study, Lemieux (2012) wrote that a fictional Facebook profile got 325 people to accept his friend request over only six weeks. By accepting this friend, those Facebook users opened their network not only to the one fictional profile, but potentially to all of the friends of the profile, and friends of the friends, and so on. Even when privacy settings are used correctly, a picture, story, or opinion can easily be passed from network to network through a simple comment or “like” by a friend.
Facebook usage without proper privacy settings and consideration of socially acceptable interactions can result in detrimental professional consequences. As the Facebook network grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain personal privacy and professionalism at the same time; the lines between such worlds are blurred. The author of the article, Privacy, Professionalism, and Facebook, notes that even with the utmost care for privacy and use of Facebook privacy settings, “information can be accessed by unintended viewers, out of context and into the future, even if the SNS user has deleted the material or deactivated his or her account” (MacDonald, Sohn, &Ellis, 2010, p.806).
Unprofessional information that can be viewed by potential employers, current employers, colleagues, customers, and other people that know someone as a professional, can negatively affect professional credibility, trust, and more. For example, in the case of doctors, a patient finding out personal opinions or lifestyle characteristics of their doctor can affect how they feel about being treated by that person (MacDonald et al., 2010). It’s also possible that posts made by a doctor would give enough information for associations to be made between the post and specific patients; therefore breaching the privacy rights of the patient and putting the doctor at legal risk (MacDonald et al., 2010).
Teachers have also experienced negative impacts of Facebook usage, especially when interacting with or making their Facebook content available to students. Authors Russo, Squelch, and Varnham acknowledge that many teachers view their social activity as private and a space to do as they choose; however they don’t always realize how public their personal information is on sites like Facebook, the “electronic trail” it leaves, and the legal and professional consequences it may have (Russo, Squelch, and Varnham, 2010, p. 2). Teachers may lose their jobs, be denied a position, or compromise their credibility and professional profile due to mismanagement of private affairs.
Children also encounter great risks with their use of social networking sites like Facebook. Children’s privacy is compromised by misuse of privacy settings and being uneducated about social networking safety. Child privacy and safety, especially for children under the age of 13, is exacerbated by the ease of which young children are able to gain access to Facebook and other social networking sites. Authors of the article, Underage Children and Social Networking, mention how children under the age of 13 can join sites like Facebook without limitations, defeating the purpose of the Children’s Online Privacy Act of 1998 which was enacted to restrict private information of children under 13 from public view (Weeden, Cooke, & McVey, 2013). Common safety related consequences for the use of social networking sites by children are inappropriate and sexually charged contact, peer bullying, and accidental viewing of inappropriate content like violence, crime, and pornography (Weeden et al., 2013).
In the fast paced world of the 21st century, we have to expect that our quest for more knowledge, faster ways to connect, and dependency on technology will continue to increase from year to year. Technological advancements will continue to give us resources that make our lives easier and more exciting. With these advancements will come new and frightening risk and consequences of use, but we cannot shy away from the opportunities they provide. We must learn how to appropriately use the technology and its privacy settings, how to separate our personal and professional lives, how to keep ourselves and our children safe, and when to limit our usage. With education and self awareness we can reap the benefits technology provides while protecting our children’s and our own privacy.
Resources
The Associated Press. (2012, October 23). Number of active users at Facebook over the years. The Associated Press. Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/number-active-users-facebook-over-years-214600186--finance.html
Brandtzæg, P., Luders, M., & Skjetne, J. (2010). Too Many Facebook 'Friends'? Content Sharing and Sociability Versus the Need for Privacy in Social Network Sites. International Journal Of Human-Computer Interaction, 26(11/12), 1006-1030. doi:10.1080/10447318.2010.516719
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends”: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143–1168.
Lemieux, R. (2012). Fictional privacy among Facebook users. Psychological Reports, 111(1), 289-292. doi:10.2466/21.01.PR0.111.4.289-292
MacDonald, J., Sohn, S., & Ellis, P. (2010). Privacy, professionalism and Facebook: a dilemma for young doctors. Medical Education, 44(8), 805-813. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03720.x
Russo, C. J., Squelch, J., & Varnham, S. (2010). Teachers and Social Networking Sites: Think Before You Post. Public Space: The Journal Of Law & Social Justice, 51-15.
Weeden, S., Cooke, B., & McVey, M. (2013). Underage Children and Social Networking. Journal Of Research On Technology In Education, 45(3), 249-262.
Written by Alison Pumma