Is Privacy Dead and are we Gladly Letting it Go?

* I think I’ll need to find an existing /create my own scale to measure attitude (apathy) in relation to privacy rights. I want to find out if a preference towards interfaces that require information sharing and customization has any correlation to this privacy apathy scale.

Information security and user privacy are not new issues in our evolving digital society. The Internet has grown to touch almost every aspect of our lives, even our definitions of words such as community and network. Previous studies have focused on the legal aspects involved in user rights and information ownership on the net. Other studies have outlined the ramifications of sharing personal information online, most specifically and relevantly pertaining to incriminating content that the user is powerless to remove. Newer conflicts have emerged from the way that social networks and advertising companies utilize and share user’s information. To examine whether advertising companies have been encroaching into our personal lives or if we have essentially invited them in by sharing information about ourselves online becomes a very circular argument and perhaps it is a two way street.

My purpose is not to consider the legal quandaries and pitfalls of limited privacy on the net, but instead to investigate user perceptions of privacy and attitude toward consent.  I theorize that younger Internet users have little concern for privacy and actually welcome intrusion through the constant need to share and update. I do not believe that most users read their privacy rights or are completely aware of how their personal information is being used. Part of my hypothesis is that even after awareness occurs, there will be no difference in online behaviors.

My studies will be aimed at a specific demographic of Internet users; I will examine the attitudes of adolescents and young adults. My aim is to determine the following: the level of awareness concerning a user’s rights to privacy specifically concerning social media sites like Facebook, the level of awareness of how social media sites treat and share personal information and how this affects privacy, and finally the level of concern for personal privacy regarding future posts, tweets, status updates, photo uploads and messaging.

I plan to conduct a thorough literary investigation on previous studies involving both the legal and social aspects of digital privacy. I also plan to prove that my demographic assumptions are accurate by finding research that supports my conjecture. I am basing these plans on my perceived knowledge that most people in older generations do not share information as readily online as members of younger generations. I will also gather the most up to date statistical data relating to Facebook member usage and behaviors in order to make generalizations and direct possible survey questions. Ideally I would like to conduct a short survey on Elon’s campus using a convenience sample. I hope to answer the question of whether behaviors will change post-awareness although I realize that questions may run the risk of producing less than honest answers from newly enlightened participants.

I arrived at the assumption that users have ultimately given up caring about privacy in a few ways. Privacy controversies have not halted the growth of Facebook in the slightest. I have also observed the growth of other platforms like Foursquare and GPS equipped smartphones, which seemingly invite “Big Brother” into our lives. I’m witnessing a growing trend of people eagerly forgoing their rights to privacy, but for what end? I expect to find literature relating to the Uses and Gratification theory while completing research, and possibly Normative studies as well. I would like to investigate if one possible motivation is the new option of customization and personalization. When we consensually give away personal information and indicate preferences we often gain a richer personal experience with digital interfaces that can better cater to our needs and wants.

Mark Zuckerberg was recently quoted as saying “the age of privacy is over.” I would like to find out of this statement is true, or if we are merely in the process of redefining what privacy means to us.