Have internet users lost a sense of privacy?
Is blogging a form of narcissism?
I’ve just stolen one of the symposium questions. Pretty blatantly. And only one of them, because I can’t really be bothered answering all three. But really, because I find the idea of internet privacy a pretty controversial subject; and a subject with no real answer.
And secondly, as blogging being a form of narcissism is completely true. But, more on that later.
I think a sense of privacy is still there while on the internet; people are always more likely to post what they think, unabashed and with less concern when online. They are expressing themselves to an inanimate screen, and being online becomes a more impersonal practice. But while a digital façade can be drawn upon your face, you can have an alter ego, or a pseudonym; you can remain hidden, on a face level; true privacy is something we lost a while ago. If you look at Facebook, it was made evident that privacy is something we gave up for connectivity a long time ago. Facebook holds on to every little thing you say – and because of the aforementioned likelihood of posting with less concern – what you think, and they use that information to advertise, and suggest things you may like. Everything you do online, and everything you type, leaves a trail.
It may seem anonymous, and it feels that way because physically you are alone online, but digitally you are connected to the entire world.
Blogging is not just a task one undertakes to stock away their hidden thoughts, and things they like. Especially in this day and age where connectivity is the goal of almost every human being. People are online to connect with other people. And people blog so that other people will see what they are posting, and hope that the other people think they’re really cool because of it.
Anyone that says they don’t want anyone to see what they post on their blogs is lying; they are a damn dirty liar. Even those people who would have themselves ‘believe’ they don’t want anyone seeing their blog, has a small part of them that wants the world to see what they are posting, and find it interesting and agree with them.
It’s human nature; narcissism is human nature. At the most basic level, we want gratification, and we want people to agree with us, and like us, and think we’re cool and hip and funky fresh.
Everybody has an ego, an everybody wants their ego fed. And their is nothing more personally gratifying and ego inducing than having somebody agree with what you consider your most inner thoughts.
I myself completely agree with blogging being narcissistic. I’m a narcissistic jerk, and what I say is final.
And everyone should agree with what I have to say. Because what I have to say is right.
And you’re wrong.
Because I’m always right.
You’re welcome.
