The Nussbaum article had an interesting quote. Shirky stated that older generations are always eager to believe that the behaviors of younger generations are a matter of morality, not chronology. “You didn’t behave like that because nobody gave you the option.” My parents did not put photos of themselves on the WWW because there was no WWW. To them now, it seems only harmful to share so much information. But I’m sure if they grew up with that being “normal”, they would. In the article a tourist named Kent was asked if he had a Web page. He was baffled by the question and responded, “I don’t know why I would…I like my privacy.” I bet Kent also likes his job! Apparently Kent is not an unemployed undergrad who has been repeatedly encouraged to create his own LinkedIn account. In today’s economy where there are more college graduates than jobs available, being a student who isn’t “findable” is not good a thing.
“It may be time to consider the possibility that young people who behave as if privacy doesn’t exist are actually the sane people, not the insane ones”. However the whole “documenting adolescence” thing does worry me. I often find myself taking albums off of my Facebook if it has been a year or more since it was posted. It ensures that the online image of me is the current me, not me five years ago. As nearly a senior in college, finding a real job is a vital yet delicate event. I would hate if an employer opened up an album from high school and thought, “She seems so young. She probably isn’t ready for this just yet”. As I become wiser in my years I want the online image of me to also evolve.
You mean I’m not really tweeting with LadyGaGa? The Marwick & Boyd article explains the purpose of celebrity Twitter accounts are to present “a seemingly authentic, intimate image of self while meeting fan expectations and maintaining important relationships”. Twitter has added one more dimension to celebrity responsibilities. It seems as if one celebrity wants to remain in the “spot light” that he/she must continually communicating with the public. “Part of the appeal of Twitter… is the perception of direct access to a famous person, particularly ‘insider’ information, first-person pictures, and opinionated statements”. If a celebrity wants to retain a strong tie with their fans they must now open up a little and become more of an acquaintance than an unattainable idol. Privacy, if celebrities ever had any, seems to be dwindling away from them as well.
