Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook are undoubtedly dominating the world of online social networking, and the willingness of many users to self-disclose personal information ranging from moods to religious affiliation, relationship status, and personal contact information has led to an increase in privacy concerns.
They offer convenient opportunities to stay in touch with friends, family, and coworkers, but are people using them responsibly? Some argue that there are fundamental differences between today’s digital natives, whose private and public selves are intertwined through these technologies, and older generations (Kornblum, 2007).
Even though some colleges are offering seminars on managing privacy online, we still hear stories of self-disclosure gone wrong, such as the football player from the University of Texas who was kicked off the team for posting racist comments about the president or the student who was kicked out of his private, Christian college after a picture of him dressed in drag surfaced on Facebook.
However, social media experts say these cases are rare and that most students are aware of who can see what they are posting and the potential consequences (Nealy, 2009). The issue of privacy management on Facebook is affecting parent-child relationships as well. As the website “Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook.” shows, the results can sometimes be embarrassing for the college student and the parent as they balance the dialectic between openness and closeness once the child has moved away.
Instructions
For this assignment, address the following:
How do you manage your privacy and self-disclosures online?
Do you think it is ethical for school officials or potential employers to make admission or hiring decisions based on what they can learn about you online? Why or why not?
Are you or would you be friends with a parent on Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook? Why or why not? If you already are friends with a parent, did you change your posting habits or privacy settings once they joined? Why or why not?
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