Big Brother’s little brother is making the world a better place
Published December 1st, 2005 in E-PROnce the Xerox copier was invented, private diplomacy died. There’s no such thing as secrecy. It’s just a question of whether it’s leaked or revealed openly - Andrew Young
There’s a huge debate going on around the world about things like data retention, CCTVs and national identity cards. People are afraid that their privacy is being taken away from them. Yet at the same time, we are embracing the era of Social Media, giving people an insight into our thoughts with tools like blogs or into our world through online photo galleries.
People love to record their lives. However we’ve moved away from hiding our secrets in a diary to capturing everything that happens around us and distributing it to an audience. Is the era of Social Media going hand-in-hand with a rise in the longing to be a celebrity or some weird form of exhibitionism?
The knock-on effect of this is that we are creating a culture of accountability. Gone are the days of coming into work after the Christmas party thinking, ‘Oh my God, I hope I didn’t do anything to embarrass myself last night.’ Now it’s a case of praying that no-one had a cameraphone to capture your drunken antics, or worse yet have the know how to upload them onto the Internet.
The modern consumer is armed to the teeth with Social Media tools. Whatever happens around us can be recorded in some shape or form, and can eventually wing its way online. This is a fact that people don’t fully realise yet.
Whether it’s Geneva’s version of the Rodney King videotape, Blockbuster’s embarrassing failure at customer service or Fingal County Council offering webcasts of their meetings, what we say now truly does echo in eternity.
Expect plenty of debate about people’s rights online over the coming years. Is it any wonder that Digital Rights Ireland will formally launch next Tuesday?
Technorati Tags: Blogging, Blogs, Digital Rights Ireland, Piaras Kelly, Digital Rights, Social Media
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Agree some privacy is taken away but it comes hand in hand with people wanting more knowledge. So what if something embarassing you do is put on the net, the whole world aint gonna see it and/or remember it. American Pie got it right by taking the piss out of it. I say see the funny side or don’t put yourself in the position.
‘I say see the funny side or don’t put yourself in the position.’
What college student, drunk at a party and offered a joint, is, at that moment, going to think about the consequences of that act for a career that he hasn’t even dreamed of yet? What person, caught up in the emotion of, for example, an anti-globalisation march, is going to stop and think rationally when running from police, or throwing rocks at a McDonalds? These are acts which are done in the flush of youth, drink or emotion, and can be regretted at leisure.
Unfortunately, as people want more and more knowledge, it becomes harder to leave those things behind you. If you a public figure, warning against the perils of taking drugs, then using a picture of you smoking in college is fair enough. If you are applying for a job and the company google you, and find the picture, that can be very damaging. Or what if someone you know is going for the same job, and they send in that picture from anon@ab.com? No way to track it back to them, but the damage is done to you.
Society is going to have become more understanding or peoples private lives and their shady past, because i can’t see a way of stopping ‘little brother’.In that respect, by forcing a more tolerant society, ‘little brother’ may be a long-term force for good, but right now, before attitudes change, it’s a dangerous thing.
It’s THEIR problem that they don’t see the consequences. Its the same attitude with drink driving in this country. Only when bad things come of it do they realize it was a mistake.
I personally wouldn’t give any sympathy. Not saying no-one else shoudn’t but thats me. You always have to be thinking ahead. It’s all a great laugh, but you can’t be going out making a fool of yourself every weekend and yet have aspirations to lead a country. Of couse your gonna get bitten by your past! Someone is/ has always been watching. In these times however, they just always have proof!
Fair enough if you want to lead the country, but what if you straightened your life out after a rough few years and started to do well for yourself? The recording of private lives leaves very little room for a second chance, unless society begins to change the way it views private and public behaviour.
The internet has changed the economy, and is possibly beginning to change politics, particularly in the US, but ‘Little Brother’ will have a much broader impact on society if it continues the way it is going.
You only have to look at Google to see the negative effects that the net has on people’s lives. However I think the benefits of these tools far outweight the negatives.
Unfortunately you have ten blogs filled with bigotry for every blog blogs that adds any wisdom to the world. Let an idiot speak though and he’ll hang himself.
I did have two trains of thought on the subject running a few minutes ago, but can’t remember one of them for the time being. I’ll try and revisit this in a while when I remember.
One part of me says that people will inevitably look for the craziest stuff online. I can’t remember the statistic, but 10% of the Internet is made up of porn sites, yet they account for 90% of search. So happy slapping vids may be far more popular than all other videophone content. However of the remaining videophone content that’s online, I’m happy to put up with the thuggery because you’ve got videos like the Geneva example online. Forget the argument of thinking about your actions when there’s a phone nearby for a moment. When I see stuff like that online I skip it because I’m not interested. I’m more Prime Time than Jackass when it comes to online content these days.
…the other half of me will have to wait.
Interesting link to the BBC website detailing problems and a change of rules for wikipedia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4502846.stm
And just to close off the story on Wiki, here is the follow-up.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4520678.stm