privacy

From what I can tell, the level of caution about how much personal information we share online seems to be roughly correlated with the number of candles on our cakes. Forgive the generalizations, but most Millennials are largely unconcerned with censoring the personal information they put online - often to the point of oversharing - because they assume most of it will be forgotten, and who really cares anyway? Most Gen Xers and Boomers, on the other hand, are wringing their hands and shaking their heads over the school admissions decisions and employment opportunities that are being lost every day as Millennials seem to post every controversial opinion, irresponsible photo and awkward relationship drama they can come up with. And don’t even get my mom started on identity theft.

While many in this latter group thought (or hoped) this social network sharing was just a phase, technology experts now predict that getting older will not discourage Millennials from continuing to share information online. The experts once thought our nearly constant use of Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms was a passing fad, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that 895 technology experts surveyed by Pew Research Center and Elon University say it’s here to stay.

It seems likely that instead of abandoning our online tools, Millennials’ use of social media will continue to mature with us. We’ll increasingly use our presence on blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to build (rather than undermine) our careers and social circles. As for that the fear that an employer or colleague might see an embarrassing twitpic, an incriminating wall post or something else overly personal - it will likely fade as everyone gradually (probably some generations more gradually than others) realizes no one is immune to embarrassing moments online, and it’s not the type of thing that will make and break careers.

But what would a debate be without a dissenting opinion? While a smaller contingent than a few years ago, still nearly 30 percent of Pew’s experts warn that the consequences of our online oversharing (which one called an upcoming “social media hangover”), along with other interests and demands on our time, will lead Millennials to pull back much of our online personalities. At the same time, Mitch Joel suggests on his blog that people are already gravitating in significant numbers toward tools that allow them to keep their anonymity, like Chatroulette, Formspring and Second Life. These tools still provide connection and person-to-person interaction, but give users the added comfort of being anonymous, if they want it, and that, Joel says, encourages content you won’t find on less anonymous platforms.

This potential trend toward sharing less about who we really are online is in many ways reminiscent of how many first started interacting online, in AOL chat rooms. We talked to strangers online about sports, relationships, politics and other shared interests, but the cardinal rule was to keep your real name, where you live and other personal information private. Newer waves of online interaction pushed us to trade in screen names like luvsdogs21 for our real identities, and now we may have reached a point of peak transparency and authenticity. If the dissenting experts are right and people continue to revert back to more anonymous social sites in greater numbers, will we see an emerging cycle of anonymity and oversharing online?

The opinion is still split over what the consequences of putting our identities online will be, but I have to agree with the majority on this one. I respect people’s need for anonymity and I’ll admit I’ve learned some things about a few of my Facebook and Twitter friends that I wish I hadn’t, but generally I’m still resistant to the call for anonymity and limited sharing online. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If we’re not willing to connect with people we don’t already know in real life and we’re not willing to express our opinion (and claim it) and we’re not willing to share some of the little bits and quirks that make us human, then we’re missing a lot of what social networking has to offer. Building the connections and trust that leads to collaboration, partnership, favors, employment, and other opportunities requires us to give up anonymity and own who we are online and offline.

Where do you think we're headed with anonymity and oversharing online?

Today's topic: oversharing. I will admit I'm a repeat offender. I can't count the number of times I've been enjoying a meal with a new acquaintance and inexplicably started sharing personal information in excessive detail. Before I know it, the words are just rushing out of my mouth like water from a broken dam, and there is literally nothing I can do to hold them back. Usually my oversharing is forgiven; occasionally I'm delighted to find it matched, or even one-uped, by the person across the table; and, yes, every now and then, it's met with visible discomfort and the notable lack of a follow-up get together, but overall, it's a relatively harmless vice.

Having slightly more potential for harm, however, is the habit of oversharing online. It's no secret that we at Social Citizens are all for being active online. We love to see people blogging, tweeting and posting videos about their thoughts on issues, brands, and experiences, but is there a point where all that social networking is TMI?

When I helped my dad sign up for Twitter over Christmas break, we had an exchange which demonstrates what I think is a common generational difference. He was a little bit horrified by the public nature of everything he was being asked to post on Twitter. He was not so sure about sharing his location, his photo, nearly anything he was doing or even his real name. ("Kristin, you have heard of identity theft, yes?")

According to the recent Pew study on Millennials, we're actually more wary of others than previous generations. Perhaps our penchant for transparency and our comfort online overcome this stated mistrust and lead us to post too much information about ourselves online because I hadn't really given much thought to the dangers of talking about myself in such a public way, and based on some of my friends' online activity, apparently neither have they. Whether it's airing private grievances, posting pictures I wish I'd never seen or just making your daily routine public, oversharing online can lead to discomfort and danger.

Foursquare is a fun application encouraging people to check out new places in their city, but we might need to think twice about how we use this and other location-based applications. Perhaps in an effort to rack up badges, some users have taken to checking in literally everywhere they go. (I am of the opinion that if someone cannot join you there, it's not kosher to check in.) In addition to annoying their twitter followers, these overzealous check-ins are also establishing their itineraries by chronicling when they get to work, when they go out for lunch, back to work, at the Dupont Circle metro (where they're clearly starting their commute) at the Clarendon metro (where they're clearly ending their commute) and at their apartment building. You do that every day for two weeks and as PleaseRobMe.com tries to demonstrate, you are giving opportunistic evildoers a leg up.

A recent survey indicated that the majority of Americans think it's wrong to friend your boss on Facebook. Likewise, an even higher percentage of bosses (62%) think being friends with their employees online is weird. I tend to disagree, but I'll concede that I have a particularly social media-friendly office environment. But the survey results touch on a common concern about sharing too much via social networks with coworkers, as well as potential employers, clients, students, exes or parents.

This concern is complicated by the fact that many people don't even realize who they are sharing all their information with through Facebook. Every now and then, there's an uproar about Facebook, and the changes to its privacy settings - who owns your information, who can see your information and whether you can really remove your information might surprise you. Nick O'Neill has a helpful list of privacy settings every Facebook user should know, or if you prefer, you can watch the video version. 

Where do you draw the line on talking about yourself online? And how do you take advantage of the utility and fun of social networks without putting yourself at risk?