Maintaining Privacy: Who Can You Trust?

While quarantine provided individuals with an excess amount of free time, platforms such as Netflix took advantage of this opportunity by introducing binge-worthy shows as a way to increase exposure. Starting with Tiger King, people were constantly waiting for a new release that would peak their interest and distract them from their responsibility of staying home. Being so consumed with discovering the new obsession and sharing personal thoughts with active followers increased the amount of time spent on social media. Once the docudrama The Social Dilemma dropped, religious watchers became more aware of just how much private information was being shared without their knowledge. Even though platforms such as Instagram and Twitter are used to interact with others publicly, we tend to forget that every like and retweet can be used against us.

Sandra Petronio dissects the layers of the Communication Privacy Management Theory, which focuses on how we disclose private information and what factors go into making sure it abides to our personal boundaries. When explaining the five core principles, she begins by explaining the ownership and control of private information. Even though privacy is a term we assign to our personal experiences, “a lot of the private information we tell others isn’t about ourselves” (145). Her third principle states that when you communicate with others, they now become a co-owner of what was shared. This can add risk to the situation, for if the relationship isn’t trusted or the information fails to be recognized as private, it could be disclosed to others outside of that selected circle. Therefore, “those who own private information should consider carefully before sharing it with others” (148). This issue can be resolved through her fourth principle, proposing that co-owners must agree on the level of privacy. While the first four steps focus on resolving issues of privacy ownership, the fifth principle “involves privacy turbulence-the turmoil that erupts when rules are broken” (145). Labeled as boundary turbulence, Petronio explains what can occur if co-owners of the information shared don’t mutually abide by the rules initiated, mistrust can result.

 

Naturally, when we share information we wish to keep private, we tend to remind the receiver that this knowledge hasn’t been granted to everyone. In The Social Dilemma, there are many factors that differ from Petronio’s suggested relationship in her theory. Many of her examples include personal connections to intensify the consequences that could follow if disclosed conversations are shared without permission. Though there is less of a personal relationship between you and your social media accounts, there is a mutual agreement that what is posted can be shared or used by the company. Therefore, the risk of sharing information isn’t considered intentional and can receive less personal backlash. While the documentary mainly focuses on how much information social media sites get control of, they also hint at how confidentiality is less crucial when it isn’t shared face-to-face. For example, if you were to send a video you made to a friend of yours through Instagram, the recipient may mistake that piece of information as something that can be shared with others. However, if you were to show that same video in person, that friend may consider it as something private because you didn’t give him or her personal access to that information.

 

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