Internet Privacy: Think before You Post

Our social life has already been "digitalized" since the universalization of computer. Nowadays, we can engage in social activities without any temporal and locational constraints; with our smartphones and available wifi network, we can literally have a 24/7 social life. However, while the digital social platforms come in handy, they create problems in terms of privacy. Indeed, technology merges our social and personal lives into one. Privacy can no longer be kept secret but widespread.

With social media, we are exposed to the public. (Illustration from Cagle Cartoons)



The rise of social media has made individual’s voice to be heard. Admit it or not, we all like our voice to be heard. And social media is not just the platforms but also our mic and spotlight as well as amplifier; with high social permeability of Facebook, Twitter and the like, our thoughts can reach a vast amount of audiences and be highlighted on people’s homepage. Our friends may then share or retweet the posts, thus amplifying the message. Yet, while social media enables us to spread the news more efficiently, we lack the control power on the scope and rate of the spread.
 

We are never short of examples to illustrate how devastating social media can be for private life. In 2008, we have Edison Chen photo scandal, where the obscene photos were madly posted and re-posted onto Hong Kong major forums; in 2012, we have Kanye West’s sex tape leak and the photo scandals of Prince Henry and Catherine Middleton. Hence, Internet is never as safe as we have thought.

To draw daily experiences to exemplify, let’s look at Facebook. Many people treat Facebook as their own diaries. First of all, they share their personal information in detail. Secondly, they check-in wherever they are. Thirdly, they write status whenever they like or dislike something or someone. Their identity, daily activities and thoughts are exposed to others, be that friends, acquaintances or strangers. They never know how far-reaching their information and message can be, as social media fosters the atmosphere of sharing and encourages us to express. 

 

On the other hand, when private jokes are exposed in the virtual world, they may constitute Internet decency issue. In 2006, a man invited people on a forum to join a "flash mob rape" and blow up Hong Kong Disneyland. The post was shared and forwarded by netizens and became so widespread that even the police force took action. The case was brought to court and became a legal matter. We can see how an insider joke can lead to so much a trouble to individuals.

Inarguably, detaching ourselves from social media is impossible. Even I can’t imagine myself not using social media for only 3 days because it is so good a tool to help me keep in touch with my friends. Nevertheless, we have to bear in mind that these platforms are beyond our control, so we have to beware of what we write and post onto them (at least the posts are within our control). We all know the saying “think before you speak”, and within the social media context, the saying should be “think before you post”.

This post is inspired by 1st episode of “Privacy beyond Price”, produced by RTHK. Check this out if you want to learn more (available only in Cantonese Chinese).