New Media & Privacy

Privacy and confidentiality. What comes to mind when pairing these words with social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and  Youtube?  I believe that there are two factors that come into play when discussing the issue of privacy online. I call them the personal factor and the general factor. Personal factor is how much you let on; rather how much information you publish, and what nicknames/usernames are used when doing so. General factor is what cannot be controlled by the individual, such as widespread government surveillance, and sometimes; hackers. In these cases, one can use firewalls and limit what information is shared online. In an age when websites generally store cookies on devices to remember user information, and targeted advetising takes place on a constant basis (facilitated by constant monitoring); one can not just help but wonder where the line between public and private is now located. That is the precise reason why privacy is now in danger more than ever before, due to the fact that almost everything can be digitalized and traced. Have you ever searched for a specific product, or spoke of something to someone over the phone; to later have advertisements show up when browsing the web; specifically about those specific products? That is no coincidence, This has been documented worldwide, and admitted to by many different credible sources. One can't be naive and believe that everything can and should be shared online, yet the dangers that may be present can be avoided by limiting online presence, masking ones identity online, and using safe browsing habits that circumvent hackers (i.e. firewalls, proxy servers). Even though, there are cases where too much information sharing, or people that investigate others lives online no matter the amount of information available, anything online can be used for or against anyone that dares enter that arena. This applies to everything though and shouldn't be used to cast new media in a negative light, it's like using knives. They are dangerous, but if used properly, can be extremely useful for many reasons. Lesson learned? Learn how to protect yourself and your information when participating in the digital world and social media platforms such as Facebook & Twitter; control what you share and how you do it, and there's no reason why your privacy has to be compromised when doing so.