Excuse Me, You’re In My Cyberspace

A few days ago I touched on how the Internet has brought us all together in a way where our collective stupidity has been allowed to run rampant like never before. The rate we can share information is incredible, but it also is a bit disruptive.

With connectivity comes entire new ways to annoy the ever-loving shit out of each other. It means we’re never truly alone or disconnected from people we may want to take a break from. In fact, it has gotten to the point where, in certain cases, if someone doesn’t come online or respond to one of many forms of communication from text messages we start to worry.

So this global connectivity has taken the place of true privacy. Now with the addition of Facebook, apps like Foursquare, and smart phones is impossible to truly escape. However, since Facebook only provides the information you choose to fill out and who can see it, and apps like Foursquare must be told to ‘check-in,’ this lack of privacy is partially our own damn fault.

I’m one of the odd ones that still keeps a public Facebook profile, I use Foursquare everywhere, and I even have updated my blog from my iPhone. Personally, I embrace the connectivity and think it’s kind of neat that an app like GetGlue can show me what my friends are watching/listening too/reading - suggesting things I may like as well. 

There are downsides. My 5’s of fans could possibly be stalking me using the trail I leave with Foursquare. Lord knows I’d hate to be mobbed by some beautiful millionaire heiress who happened upon my Facebook profile, located me, and then proceeded to use me for sex, yep - I’d hate that. People can usually tell what I’m doing, when I’m home, and - most worryingly perhaps - when I’m not. Also, with a public profile anyone, even those I wish to cut communication from, can still see what I’m doing and send messages.

As for my iPhone? You’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands (or at least until the iPhone 4GPSLTEOMGBBQ comes out and I have to upgrade again), but as a phone that interacts with Twitter, Facebooks, and my email on top of normal text and picture messages - well, it’s not the best device to have if you want to avoid people once in a while. Sure, there are a lot of times I truly don’t get messages, but when you can attack me from four popular methods/services on one device - there’s a chance I heard you somewhere.

So if these things are all detrimental to my privacy, why do I continue to be connected? Why does someone who isn’t all that social in public settings put everything out there for people to see? For me, I find it a lot easier to interact online when I have time to think out my responses. I also enjoy the different ways we can interact. The Internet has connected us all, and in some ways changed the very methods we use to gather and share information about each other.

In some ways the connectivity is good, in others, it’s proven bad - see the recent cases of Facebook related bullying. It’s all a matter of how comfortable you are with the technology and your level of privacy. All of the recent advancements in communication help me keep in touch with people I normally wouldn’t see or talk to often or if at all. However, it also means that total privacy, total disconnection, would require me shut down at least 3 devices and go live in a fucking cave. Even then, I’m sure the cave would have a Wi-Fi network installed somewhere with some emo fuck bear writing in his Livejournal.