Social networking platforms are attempting to ‘help’ us manage our digital selves through various preferences, features and tools. The larger problem of this the lack of social context in social media, and this has yet to be resolved. We interviewed several industry experts as part of our research, and found there is a growing concern over online context and privacy approaches. “Fidelity, accuracy and representation are not easily interpreted in a digital world.” Social media developers and businesses often make it extremely easy to share information, but difficult to curate that information into an authentic, meaningful message.
“Facebook is susceptible to being young and moving fast, without thinking of their privacy model.” All of this fast movement and constant iteration on privacy often winds up making us feel even less secure than we did before! How often do we need our settings after all?
Is this good or bad?
Your viewpoint may depend on who you are, your life stage, and your technical understanding of the repercussions of putting yourself ‘out there’ for the rest of time. Added to this is the fact that digital identities are surfacing at a younger and younger age, and they don’t necessarily understand what is appropriate to share. In fact they crave a more authentic interaction, and seem to derive a lot of social value from it. At a certain age they begin to understand that it can serve as a moral compass to some degree: “Don’t do anything unless you don’t mind it being on Facebook”, said one teen we interviewed. On the other hand, if we edit ourselves too heavily, are we gaining anything through this social medium, or just creating a bunch of noise? Another expert we spoke with explained his philosophy saying, “The digital self is less about privacy and hiding things, it is more about respecting your audiences and what they care about.”
As participation online increases, our contacts, connections, and digital audiences expand. Additionally, the amount of information that we share will continue to grow, making our digital identities even more significant.
Does this cause us to relate to others in a less genuine way? What support will we need to ensure ease and authenticity when representing our digital identities in the future?
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1 Comment
Great Post!
Within any social environment there are perceptions that we all strive to control. Social media sites like Facebook will have and are having an uncontrolled effect on our social perceptions. Personal data, images(tags) are posted all the time with and without us knowing. No matter how careful you are that less than flattering college photo always seems to rear its ugly head. In fact those with out Facebook accounts still have a digital exisistance via others posting pics and info of them.