With our new media today, privacy seems to be a thing of the past. Information on individuals are easily accessed through facebook, twitter or myspace as well as other internet and online services.
As stated in the Los Angeles Times Article "On the Media: Social Media in the Spotlight", with new media, we have evolved to a more open society. The article poses the question about boundaries and cites an example about college students who exposed a gay student on an online video, and the student took his life because of it. This is of course an extreme case, but is an example of the risks of invading one's privacy.
In looking at social media, data is posted that can reveal very private information on one's relationship or working status. Even though tougher privacy controls have been put in place, third parties still have the ability to access confidential information. There are also been issues relating to identity theft. Facebook has received a lot of slack of late about their privacy controls. They have listened to their customers and have made some changes to protect them. But Facebook is not the only media source that has privacy issues, many consumer internet and media industries have also been faced with this controversy.
Also retailers, in an effort to increase their customer lists, have turned to social media to do so. Some retailers have used smartphones apps, in store wiki and geolocation to reach out to customers. Any of these types of communication raises concern for the consumers' privacy. Retailers must have an understanding about privacy rights and build that into their framework.
Whereas using new media tools are appealing, compelling, and innovative, failing to understand the practice of basic privacy consideration can be costly and dangerous. Although there are serious risks on posting personal information, many continue to do so. These sites can provide a tool for connecting with family and friends near and far; however users should be careful on what they post and what they show in their private world.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/27/entertainment/la-et-onthemedia-20101027/2
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