Privacy

Is it possible for humans to keep up with technology? I, for one, was born at the tail end of Generation X. We're the people who like to be told our work is good, and we were the first generation to grow up with computers. My home, unfortunately, was not one of them. I first used WordPerfect when I was in high school, and we were tested on our agility and ability with the shift, alt, F1, etc., keys. As time has passed, I have learned much more about computers, but I am still barely hanging on to the second or third rung on the bottom of the technological ladder.

After reading the New York Times' article, "How Privacy Vanishes Online," I started thinking about the networks I belong to. I have Myspace, Twitter, Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Chat, AOL, and Facebook. What kind of 21st century citizen would I be without 1,000 social networking sites? I even subscribe to Lastfm and Grooveshark. But, really, where is all this information about me going?

Trust me, I'm really not full of myself. I don't think there are hackers out there pounding on their keyboards like orangutans trying to find their way into my measly checking account. However, I've always wanted to know how and why websites like Google and Facebook know which advertisers to display on my searches and profile page.

More and more businesses are "marketing" on these social websites. I tried to "x" an ad which stared at me from the right-hand side of my Facebook profile. I was then asked the question, "Why didn't you like this ad?" Facebook was letting me know that if I gave them feedback about their ads, they would send me more relevant ones. The ominous "THEY" are learning more and more about innocent "me."

One of my international students told me that a stranger asked her for her email address on the street when she first arrived in America. She gave it to him. But she knew that it wasn't right. But when Facebook asks us to give them temporary permission to search our email accounts for our "friends," we sign on without hesitation. My biggest question is not how important our privacy is, but really, "how important is our privacy to others?"