Friends, family and work: are they three separate networks?
This just in: further evidence that your parents, teachers and friends really should be encouraging you to “think before you post” (pictures, comments, updates to social networking sites and other online arenas).
Why? Ryerson University recently conducted an extensive survey with university students about privacy and online social networks – and one of their key findings is that a “digital divide” exists between young Canadians and the “older generation”. Younger Canadians simply do not have the same concerns about personal privacy and personal information as older generations.
So what does all this mean? Well, it’s as we suspected. The “older” generation (your parents, teachers, bosses, etc.) think of online privacy in a different way than most of you do. They’re much more suspicious. While many young people think the personal information they post to their social networking site is private and access is limited to only those friends on their network, many adults and organizations (i.e. your school, your boss) “do not recognize the notion of network privacy. Instead, (older Canadians believe) that information posted online is public and deserves no protection.”
It’s true that these are emerging issues, that attitudes are still shifting and this has all yet to be worked out. But it’s better to be aware of these issues and to always be aware that what you are posting might not be as private as you think.
And, keep in mind, this is an issue that will only become more important. After all, “nine out of ten young Canadians socialize online regularly and frequently” – this rivals the communication that takes place on the telephone!
All of this is just further evidence that you really should be watching how you manage your identity online. And possibly rethinking your “network” – because, with today’s technology, it’s more than just friends – it’s anyone who could potentially access the stuff you are posting online.