Public Privacy

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Privacy \ˈprī-və-sē\
1 a: the quality or state of being apart from company or observation : seclusion b: freedom from unauthorized intrusion <one's right to privacy>
2 archaic : a place of seclusion

I've lately found out some very personal facts about people I am connected with on Facebook but I have no close personal relationship with. It was a bit strange feeling. I felt like I was forced to peep into someone's life. Looking into someone's living room and hearing conversations without being seen or heard. I was wondering what should I do with this information, should I react or should I ignore. Of course, I should ignore as it wasn't my business but anyhow someone "forced me" to participate and in a way it became my business whether I wanted or not. I moved on, but I felt a bit strange for some time and took a closer look at different people's profiles. Now I was peeping into people's lives without being forced but drive by pure curiosity to see where the privacy begins. I was surprised to discover there were little privacy...People are literally life-casting and sharing the most private and intimate parts of their lives.

"I love you. I am so happy being married with you"*

"Morning coffee and sun in the garden, the dog has cold and in a minute cherries fall down on the terrace - life is OK"*

But let's start from the beginning. What is actually privacy on Facebook and other social networks? Is revealing your birthday date sex, hometown, Skype ID, trespasses the limits of privacy? I don't think so. Those are just a facts, external general signs of who you are that don't expose who you are a person. It is like showing your ID to someone in the real life, well people may learn when to send you birthday card and resolve the question - yes you are definitely the man - but they can't use those information to get any further into your life. Privacy has become the desirable value in 20th century after the fall of totalitarian regimes that were build around destroying privacy and spying on every aspect of people's lives in the name of protecting the ideology from the imperialistic enemies. We began to cherish privacy and the whole system of providing privacy was developed. We privatized everything from holidays to conscious and God. Then Interned bloomed and we were handed to tools to extend our social lives and we began to fear about our privacy even more...we fear people have access to our birthdays,skype ID's, location...while we freely and happily tell the word the story of our so private and protected private life via status updates, pictures, videos...

"Hey dad. Yes I come up on Thursday, I have free at 13.45. So we must just see if you have free before, otherwise I am just doing a little homework at the school .. Yes. I am also pleased to come up to you, and I am also looking forward to skiing with Mikkel and all the others, it will be great fun .." *

Our privacy has become public. The limits between privacy and public life are blurred. Our privacy has become public. We show our apartments, our friends, our parties, our newborn kids...Aren't we aware we are exposing ourselves to the world and people who aren't our friends? Did our  privacy zone shrink? Or are we using our private lives  as a form of creating ourselves (staging). Or maybe we just don't care cause we "aren't expanding our circle of friends but are strengthening our most important relationships"?

"have just received a very fancy invitation from the French embassy, I will do l'Ambassadrice de France the honor to attend the reception for the French national holiday, and I sit now and write reply..." *

What's privacy for you? Where does it begin?

 
*All quotes are from Facebook Wall Updates
 

Comments

[Nguyen Duong]

"privacy" begins w/the not-so-direct, yet publicly open interactions between two people. i think it is when you observe how one interacts w/others (via dialog/conversation) in their social network that you begin to understand what kind of person he/she is in private, and as a person. collectively, all of the status updates or tweets can give you a "scripted" profile of an individual, but it is the back-end conversations, IMs, DMs, email msgs, replies, etc that is this the interesting bit to chew on. not sure if i answered your question, but thought it was somewhat relevant to your observation nonetheless. hope all is well. :)

[Bizstra]

Private domain should always be privacy unless otherwise stated by those people. So, no body can break it out in what so ever reason. Breaking other privacy is a serious crime.