A common theme within the articles assigned for this week's topic on blogging seems to that of public vs. private. The mini-stories in front of the Miller/Shepard piece really seemed a little over the top in their naivete. The fact that these people are creating blogs and then assuming that they can still retain their privacy seems very strange.
Another current and controversial version of the blog is the phenomenon of myspace. How many kids have gotten kicked off sports teams or gotten in trouble due to their postings on myspace...postings and pictures they thought only their friends could see?
I do not have an answer here, but it seems worth discussing why people seem to feel a sense of entitlement to their privacy when they are knowingly publishing their thoughts to the world.
In response to the comparison of blogs to diaries...who writes diaries assuming that someone will read, analyze and respond to them? I hardly think Anne Frank knew that one day her diary would have such a dramatic impact on society.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Unfortunately, Marc, there are people who do not realize that their privacy is compromised when posting in blogs and other online communities, such as myspace.
I talked about this topic of public vs private with one of my comp classes, mainly sophomore- and junior-level college students. Many thought they had privacy within the particular community that they had specifically joined. They didn't realize anyone had access to their postings other than those within the specific online community. They had failed to understand the blend between the private and the public.
I agree with you that it is intriguing that some people want to have a sense of privacy yet they exploit their views in a public forum. But, I think for some it is their naivete at how the Internet really operates from the perspective of it being a trackable, monitoring-type tool, if necessary.
Post a Comment