Privacy was the leading topic of discussion in week 6’s lectorial and reading. Being a ‘millennial’ and growing up in the age of new technology, social media and Internet, my stance on Internet privacy are likely to generally be very different to that of my elders: being public with your social media can benefit you greatly if used wisely.
Danah Boyd’s reading discussed youth on social media and how open they (we) are when it comes to sharing online. Whereas part of the film that we watched in the lectorial was far more eye-opening where they discussed how key words in one’s gmail will be used to target specific sites and advertisements towards individuals.
I believe that due to the digital age that I’ve grown up in (I mean, I first got MySpace when I was 10) I am far more open and understanding of the Internet. I generally like to think that I have a pretty large understanding of how to maintain privacy and safety through the Internet.
The level of privacy that one has is generally thought of as something that the person is able to choose for themselves, but this video displayed otherwise. It was shocking and eye-opening to see that private content that we don’t expect anyone to see (our emails and private messages) are used in ways to advertise. Though freaky, I do understand the logic behind this and it is not used in a necessarily harmful manner.
Something such as keeping your Instagram off private so anyone can see your posts can be a tool used in Media and creating a persona and portfolio. How private you do or don’t choose to be is your own choice, but if used and executed wisely, it can be very beneficial to anyone (particularly in the Media Industry).
For instance, I am able to create my own brand through this blog, my Instagram, a Facebook page, Youtube, or even Tumblr, and then share it to the world in such a public way. I am able to limit what the public can see, but still create an open image. The options and opportunities to exhibit and promote my brand are endless.
