While it has given us many great things, the internet has brought the issue of privacy to the forefront of the modern era. With social media especially, the boundaries between public and private have been blurred to the point that they’re almost – and I do say almost, not completely – non-existent.

While in the symposium “we didn’t get to the privacy question” (as Adrian puts it on the Networked Media subject blog) it did get me thinking about the current lack of privacy that the world wide web has introduced into society.

If I focus on social media in this post – because looking at the whole web in one post would be utterly impossible – it is accurate to say that all users have, to a certain degree, a lack of privacy. But beyond that, even the privacy of those people that choose not to engage with social media is inhibited. What’s to say that these people won’t be tagged in another person’s photo or mentioned in their post?

Unknowingly, people tell the entire world where they are at particular times. We’ve all seen Facebook “check-ins” or instagram pics of restaurant meals accompanied by text that explicitly tells anyone and everyone where a person is and who they’re with. As Ashleigh (another Ashleigh!) points out, what about photos of tickets to concerts or sporting matches? These tell people where you are down to the very seat you’re sitting in.

Marina also looks at the issue of privacy, but from a different perspective (and there’s a Mean Girls clip.. win win).

Despite the privacy settings that social media sites provide, once something is published on the internet, anyone can see it. Proof? Watch this somewhat funny but also somewhat important vid posted by Adrian…