Social Networking

Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and more have such a wide audience. 

What does this mean for activist and businesses? Better means of communication with consumers. By being able to understand their consumers based on their social media platforms, business are able to develop and alter products and services to fit the needs of their customer. Not only are they able to develop products, they're able to market and sell their products to a wide group of people. With social media platforms, individuals are releasing tons of private information everyday, without knowledge. According to the article, "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do", a researcher at Microsoft Research, it seems that younger users between the age of 18 and 19 years old are more likely to change their profile to be private from the public attention. However, is this protecting them from data-mining? Not likely, the purpose of data-mining lies in the ability to gather as much information about users and use that information to gain their attention. This raises privacy concerns in the ethical department. Many individuals are unaware that their information is constantly being used to manipulate them into shopping and purchasing goods and/or services.

According to the article "Leaving 'Friendprints': How Online Social Networks Are Redefining Privacy and Personal Security", by giving away their birth dates, friend list, and their name, among many other things, individuals are giving away more than they know. By giving away this information, we open ourselves to the possibility of being located by professionals on our social networking platforms the moment we disclose our real names, welcoming them into our private life. However, we need to figure out if we're okay with companies targeting us with coupons and deals based on our previous purchase. According to Alessandro Acquisti a professor of public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University, people are willing to give away their private information based on the context of interaction. On social media platforms they are willing to sacrifice their personal information in exchange for the experience. In a society where privacy is no longer a concern for many, individuals are still shocked when they receive emails from a store they walked by or receive email deals after viewing an item online. Although these events may seem negative, they could work out in the benefit of the consumer, receiving deals and coupons. However, the consumer also has the right to know what information companies have on them and to decide whether they want to allow this information to be used. In the future, individuals won't be worrying about their privacy because there will be no way to shield themselves from data-mining. Companies have already utilized data collecting chips in mannequins and location trackers in cellular devices to alert customers of deals when they're nearby a store. Privacy is bound to become obsolete. 

Reference: 

1. "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do" By Marc Parry, NY Times, July 29, 2010, Available at http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Who-Cares-About-Facebook/25877/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
2. Knowledge@Wharton, "Leaving 'Friendprints': How Online Social Networks Are Redefining Privacy and Personal Security http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2262