Now that everything is online and everyone is so connected, it’s obviously harder to maintain privacy. From the pictures you post on Facebook (or that someone else posts of you) to location based social media like Foursquare and Gowalla, is there a line that needs to be drawn? The answer is different depending on the person you ask. Some people refuse to check in on Foursquare because they think their house will be broken in to while they’re at the local pub or out of town on vacation, yet mass amounts of other folks keep on checking in on these location driven sites. If privacy is the goal and fear of having your house broken in to is legitimate, why do so many people still participate in this (still somewhat new) social media machine?
Part of that answer comes from which side of the fence you are on when it comes to fear of everything or fear of nothing. Fear, or lack of it; are typically going to be based on psychology, environment, and life experience. I do not believe there is a wrong answer here, it is subjective and individual. We are still in the beginning of this wave and it will be interesting to see what develops over the next five years. My personal view is that social media, online community building, and transparency aren’t going away. Being prepared for all this and learning what you can is a must so you’re not left completely in the dark.
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