There is no privacy on social networking sites currently. Researchers have raised this concern for a long time yet the situation seems to be worsening as time goes. The issue of privacy concerns on social networking sites is part of the data privacy challenge that involves the right of allowing personal information to reach third parties. People have chosen social networking sites as internet platforms to spill over their private information (Agosto and Abbas, 2015). On the social networking sites, there are features that invite users to engage in message chatting, update status, post comments, and upload photos and videos. These features have become conduits of leaking private information of individuals. Many people can access private information about other people by simply going to their profiles displayed on the internet platforms like Facebook and twitter (Debatin et al., 2009). Furthermore, technologies that are used to store the private information of the users do sometimes intrude the same data. More interestingly, there are users who even willingly let out their very private information on the social networking sites through posting comments and status updates.
Some of the private information that individuals let out on social networking platforms include relationship status and daily personal affairs. There are people who update about the situation in their marriage, events of break-up with loved ones and private journeys. Some people even have the audacity of uploading their nude photos and videos. This is the level of concern that social networking sites have caused.
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Since the advent of Web 2.0, there has been social profiling that has led to increased internet privacy concerns. Web 2.0 is the system that enables participatory information sharing as well as collaboration through the internet, on websites like Facebook and Twitter. The social networking sites normally keep record and monitor the interactions among people. This information is normally used for future use. Privacy issues that have come with these networking sites include cyber-stalking, disclosure of location and social profiling. Today, governments are using social media for investigations on individuals without even a search warrant. Therefore, there is no privacy on social networking sites.
At personal level, it is not worth to give up one’s privacy for the benefit of social networking. People have to understand that giving up private information has more disadvantages than the benefit of social networking. Other people can use the private information given out against the user (Naveen, n.d). For instance, governments are using this private information about individuals to carry out investigations. An enemy can use the same private information posted on the social networking sites to attack the user. For instance, there are people even post their daily diaries on social media. They disclose their locations and journeys. If there is an attacker aiming to hijack such a user, they can just follow their posts on social networking sites to track them. It is not good for people to know somebody even before they physically meet. Personal privacy is a valuable commodity that must be guarded at all costs. Personal privacy is too expensive to be exchanged for the benefit of social networking (Naveen, n.d).
The notion of privacy in the modern has greatly transformed. The way people view privacy is not the same as it used to be during the traditional times. It is because of this transformation in the notion about privacy that people today upload photos of their nude bodies to social networking sites. Researchers have acknowledged that the increasing use of social networking sites by the young generation to share private information for interaction distinguishes them from their elders (Naveen, n.d). The users of social networking sites view sharing of privacy as a way of showing off. To them, this is a new way of earning respect. Earlier on, sharing private information was regarded as a vice and a demeaning action. However, in the modern society, people are ready to lose their privacy for the sake of fame and social influence. When a person purchases a new car, they will quickly take its photo and upload it on the social networking sites announcing they now own a vehicle (Naveen, n.d). This is a way of bragging and seeking attention. To them this is meant to make people respect them.
However, even those who do not share their private information on social become the odd ones out in a generation that has no sensitivity to privacy. Today, interaction is best done through sharing private information. If one does not share private information, it becomes quite difficult for them to interact with their peers (Naveen, n.d). Therefore, social networking is only enhanced through this information sharing.
As technology advances, one disadvantage is that loss of privacy increases. There is no privacy on the social networking sites today. People are increasingly disclosing much about their private information to the public on the social networking platforms. The main benefit of this private information disclosure is social networking. However, it is important to that privacy is a priceless commodity, whose value cannot be exchanged for the benefit of social networking. Interaction with people is a cheap thing too cheap to be exchanged with personal private information (Naveen, n.d). It is true that the notion of privacy in the modern society has greatly transformed. People do not accord privacy the same importance and value that it used to have in the past before the advent of Web 2.0. The recommendation is that everybody must take caution when using social networking sites.
References
Agosto, D. E., & Abbas, J. (2015). “Don’t be dumb—that’s the rule I try to live by”: A closer look at older teens’ online privacy and safety attitudes. New Media & Society , 1461444815606121.
Debatin, B., Lovejoy, J. P., Horn, A. K., & Hughes, B. N. (2009). Facebook and online privacy: Attitudes, behaviors, and unintended consequences. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication , 15 (1), 83-108.
Naveen, J. (n.d). Online Social Networks. Humber College .
