Ten years ago we developed our vacation pictures at a photo centre and browsed through them with family and friends. We would talk in the schoolyard about the latest party, and we would cry on a close friend’s shoulder when we broke up with our boyfriend or girlfriend. Today we share all of this with hundreds of “friends” in various online communities. Did you know that most online communities have privacy settings where you can decide how much you want to share?
Sharing is caring?
With online communities we have an entirely new way of communicating, with plenty of freedom and openness. Many people view this development positively, but there are also some challenges.
How much of your private life is it OK to share with others? What do you want others to know about you? Where is the boundary between private and public? Personal information can easily reach beyond your network of friends and be spread on the Internet. Then the information is public and can be searchable for everyone on the net for years to come.
Do you want to share everything?
