In 1929 a Hungarian author put forth his idea of the ‘six degrees of separation,’ a concept whereby all humans are connected through a web of six acquaintances. With Facebook, the degrees of separation are shrinking. Now, I can type the name of virtually anyone around the globe, and with a click of a button see their information and leave them a message. There is a sacrifice of privacy, but it is a joint sacrifice. For most of modern western history, people have focused on their family and their privacy. But now is a time to branch out and be connected with the entire world. I might have my picture available to anyone on the web, but so do half a billion other people around the world on Facebook’s network.
I am not concerned about merging the separated parts of my life. The world is becoming more open, why not embrace it? If my teachers can see my video blogs on Youtube in which I’m talking about my life at home, so be it. Maybe they will get to know me better as a person. Now, one does have to be careful in this new age of openness. Ranting over one’s boss on Twitter on the work computer is obviously a bad idea. And then there is the whole issue of anonymity.
Perhaps this is the central issue of the 21st century Wild Wild West, the issue of anonymity. What happens on forums or Youtube videos or Chatroulette where everyone is anonymous and no one must take responsibility for their words or actions? The response is mixed, it turns out anonymity can both be very good and very bad. On the bad side, anonymity gives people cover to be as hateful as they want. When a black friend of mine put a video on Youtube in late 2008 criticizing John Mccain’s presidential campaign, she was slammed, and targeted with appalling racial slurs and other offensive language. In real life, people who said what was said to my friend would be in jail with hate crime charges, but this is a common occurrence on Youtube video comments and other online forums. On Chatrulette, it is not uncommon to see nudity, gross-out pictures and other lewd things, and on formspring.me a student committed suicide after a barrage of anonymous online bullying attacks. On the other hand, anonymity can be a powerful tool for positive social change. In Iran, people could speak out against the government on Twitter without fear of retribution due to its relative anonymity. Now, people can easily leak political scandals and misdeeds onto the web, and videos documenting police brutality are endless on Youtube. The ease in which people can pull out their phone and put a video on Youtube changes the entire culture. It changes the very way we deal with our privacy. But I would argue that it’s changing in a rapidly positive way, maybe four steps forward for every one step back.
The web is changing rapidly, and with that, the world. Caught up in this rapidly moving culture I find myself both cautious and excited. In terms of the way technology is bringing people together, this is a golden age to grow up in. Facebook is the perfect social tool for teenagers and college students. Sure, privacy is being lost, and perhaps the line between private and public is being blurred, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. If giving up some privacy means I can keep in touch with my friend in Columbia, or see pictures of my cousin’s new dog in Atlanta, or keep up with what’s going on on the ground in Haiti through Twitter, or stalk my new roommate’s facebook then so be it. It’s worth it. Privacy is important, but the world is moving towards becoming more connected, smaller and more intimate where everyone is a friend of a friend. I think I like this new world. For now, I’m going to give it a try.
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