Privacy & Confidentiality

In this post, discuss how the issues of privacy and confidentiality are related to new media.

As new media evolves, privacy and confidentiality becomes lost. In particular, social networking sites have given most people a sense of comfort. As a result, they expose more of their personal lives for the world to see. I've seen people update their every movement and location every 2 minutes. "At Webster Hall bout to get wasted and hook up with a guy" is just one of those tweets that's TMI (too much information). Yet some people find nothing wrong with it. 

So why do people lose their sense of confidentiality when posting online? I think it's because they feel a sense of community with other people so by sharing information, they can connect or relate. There's nothing wrong with wanting to develop relations with other people but it depends on what extent you go to, to have that connection. Not keeping certain things private makes the jobs of sexual predators easier and most people are not aware of that. 

The case of Rutgers student, Tyler Clementi, being secretly videotaped was a violation of his privacy and resulted in his death. New media was an indirect cause for his death because if we didn't have new media, chances would have been less likely for his escapades to be exposed. This is just one example of how new media has been shed in a negative light because of lack of privacy and confidentiality.