In the last few days, I've talked with various people about the difference between public and private. Technology, a huge factor in my generation and the following generation's social development, has changed the rules quite a bit concerning what is considered private and intimate and what is more public or open. Blurring the lines quite thoroughly are sites like Facebook and Twitter, but also devices such as the iPhone and digital cameras.
Playing petanque with my buddy Stephen, I had no qualms when it came to his taking pictures with his smart phone and uploading them to Facebook. On the contrary: I wanted our friends to see what they were missing out on! In our shoes, some of our friends may have even posted something on Twitter about just that. But it's not just our friends who are seeing the photos and tweets: it is our extended network, which can range from family to friends of friends all the way to employers. Hence the lively debates taking place in living rooms and on blogs such as this one about what shall be deemed "public" (fair game) and what shall be deemed "private" (off limits to employers/advertisers/strangers).
In our discussion, I brought up the point that instead of becoming restrictive in what I post to Facebook and being deemed a social recluse, I simply learned how to have fun in responsible, respectable ways and to be a little bit more discreet in talking about things like parties or personal disputes. Of course, there was a relatively short adjustment period in which I posted some images and aired some opinions that may have been better kept to myself: in that respect, I can only hope that those with access to that data will see it through understanding, human eyes and will take into account the person I am today. Knowing that somehow all that which is posted on the internet becomes more or less etched in stone, one must choose to resign oneself to reality and accept the past as is or struggle and fight (what may be a losing battle) to remove anything that could possibly be considered sensitive or damaging. I was lucky in that the increase in transparency coincided with my emotional development: I became mature enough to not really have to worry about people judging me based on the things I posted/said on Facebook. To take it one step further, I would even say that I have become rather dismissive of those that feel the need to look into my recent activity to judge who I am as a person; why try to grasp who I am via a middleman when one would be likely to get better answers to his/her questions in addressing me directly?
That said, not all people my age have been lucky enough to benefit from the awareness and confidence that I've developed over the years. Some struggle with the blurred line between their public and private lives and renounce online social interaction altogether, and others simply ignore the knowledge that the internet's audience is more or less infinite. As usual, I search for a middle ground: neither obsessing over virtual popularity nor retiring into a small isolated shack at the foot of a valley. Not yet, at least.
My generation will be defined by the way we navigate this moral ambiguity, and we'll likely set the standard for the generations to come. Share your thoughts!
Also, check out what I'm reading! I get the most out of my reading when I get to discuss it with someone else, and I've decided this blog will serve as a good medium to promote that kind of exchange.
Ben
