Privacy. Privacy in our culture is both closely guarded and given away freely. In public we pass strangers without making eye contact and without saying hello, afraid of sharing even the smallest piece of our lives with them. A smile is free and a greeting costs little more, but to offer them to a stranger is inviting risk, albeit a small risk. But through the various forms of social networking that we use, we open our lives to thousands or millions without discretion. It isn't only the policies or practices of companies that create this situation, but instead the largest force is cultural.
Through the miracles of technology and innovation, cameras permeate our world like never before. It would follow that the number of pictures taken by the average person has increased as well, but what do they do with those pictures? It used to be that pictures were printed and shared in person, limiting the spread of information about our private lives. But now? The pictures are uploaded to websites where they can be viewed by hundreds or thousands of "friends" in the case of Facebook, by millions if shared on other popular websites.What have we gained through this miracle? In some cases, we are able to maintain close contact with friends and family separated from us by great distances. But I think we have lost far more than we have actually gained.
So then, what is it in my opinion that we have lost? I will try to avoid being dramatic, but I believe that we have lost a wealth of shared experience. It is a common phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this may be true when the sharing of a picture is intimate. To click through the albums of a friend or acquaintance does not take us along on the journey. But the stories that accompany each photo can bring someone on a journey, take them to a time and place that they have never been.
But what am I trying to say? It certainly isn't sharing albums and photos is bad, or that social networks have led to a downfall of our society. The anonymity of the internet has enabled us to wear of veil of friendship and sharing while we limit real interpersonal relationships. I think that this veil has allowed us to maintain the image of perfection we all aspire to.
Having said all of this, I only hope that I can offer more of myself to others. I hope that I can be vulnerable with my friends and loved ones, creating strong bonds between us. Maybe you disagree with me about any or all of this, but I don't think anyone would regret sharing a little more with a close friend. (And don't picture me on some high horse. I am a typical man, closed to the world 95% of the time.)
