Social Media Privacy

1019 Words3 Pages

‘The rapid development of technology, including the provision of easy access to social media sites, is having a negative impact on young people’s privacy.’

The last 10 to 15 years has introduced new and exciting technology and with this technology social media has been introduced and has become increasingly and rapidly popular with everyone around the world, especially young people. This is due to the easy access to information, connecting socially with friends, watching programs and movies, playing games and interacting in chat rooms. But social media has also continued, since its introduction, to gradually reduce the privacy of its users and have the issue of common mistreatment of uploaded personal information. The exploitation of privacy and related issues such as, targeted advertisements, digital footprints and protection laws and all need to be closely inspected. The development of new technologies and social media is having a negative impact on the privacy of young people and also their families. If no action is taken to spread awareness and the consequences of using these new technologies and social media young people will increasingly become victims and the internet will become a minefield for everyone.

Your digital footprint is a permanent trail you leave of the website you’ve visited and what you have written on those websites. Anything you do online, including any profiles you have created, the sites you’ve visited and the online conversations you’ve had, add to this trail (Netsafe, 2010) – trails are even left when you think you’re doing things anonymously, or you have attempted to hide them (e.g. deleted them from your computer). Most people are not bothered that a trail is left behind on their browsing history, b...

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...l networking sites that portrays an individuals or communities experience in a particular group or community online invites other interested people to engage and relate to the members, spreading the sense of belonging to others who may need it.

Consequently, upcoming problems surrounding online privacy will continue to rise and become harder to stop, the faster new technologies and social media persist and adapt. It is imperative that social media outlets, such as Facebook, battling privacy problems do not only focus on protecting vulnerable young people against the common mistreatment of personal information. “Protection of teens is a parental responsibility. But the education of teens and their parents to the growing privacy problem will require an educational effort that involves schools, social networking organizations, and government agencies” (Barnes, 2006).

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