Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations seems to apply to the use of social media, specifically by generational use. Not always, but typically Generation Y and Baby Boomers, who both grew up before the onset of the internet, tend to not share as much personal information online and are involved in social media to stay in communication with family and friends. The Millennial generation, although including a broad range of birth years from 1981-1997, has a mixture of those who are laggards and extremely skeptical of social media involvement to the opposite end of spectrum where they are early adopters and post several times a day on multiple social media platforms (LaMorte 2018).
In my experience working with Generation Z students, some of my students refuse to participate in social media altogether, while others shun Facebook, but participate regularly in platforms, such as Snapchat and Twitter. I do believe that the majority of each generation is more comfortable with the social media platform(s) that they grew up with.
For example, my first grade class in elementary school was the first group to have access to our school’s first-time computer lab….a small room full of roughly twenty multi-colored Apple desktop computers. We played, what would now be considered “archaic”, games of Oregon Trail, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago? and Keyboarding for Beginners. The onset of MySpace occurred during my middle school years and the onset of Facebook occurred for me when it was actually aimed at college students rather than open to everyone. Although I participate in a few social media platforms to stay in touch with family and friends, most of my accounts are private and the information I do choose to have about myself online is vague and doesn’t have any specific information about me, at least in my mind.
I am skeptical on having too much information about myself online. I wouldn’t want a sole photo or blog post or Facebook post to come back to haunt me for future employment or any future children to critique and tear apart due to my one-time time capsule post. We’ve seen it happen time and time again where public shaming occurs due to one post and that person’s real address and employer is found, they’re judged, shamed and fired. The example given in Gimlet’s Reply All podcast, episode #18 Silence and Respect, about Lindsey Stone’s public shaming due to a photo posted on Facebook as a joke amongst friends is one example of many. Stone was attacked online due to her post and lost her job (Gimlet Reply All 2015). These are extreme cases, of course. But, if these every day people can be sought out for one post and their lives irrevocably ruined, who’s to say that that can’t happen to you?
Social Media can help us open up dialogue and connect with others around the world. However, the concerns of any backlash in our current politically correct society are real. When posting your opinion or a photo online can unravel your life, employment, housing, relationships and more, is the risk worth it?
Where do you draw the line at what information about yourself you post compared to the information that you keep private?
In Danah Boyd’s “The Future of Privacy in Social Media” YouTube video , she talks about Shameeka, who posts on Facebook and then deletes her own posts the next day. With this strategy, she can participate, but not have a record of her posts over the years. Another young woman, Mikayla, even goes so far as to deactivate their Facebook account every day so that she’s not searchable when she’s not online (Microsoft Research 2012).
Perhaps the best compromise to participate in social media is to speak objectively and be careful of personal information you want online. I focus on only posting information online that I wouldn’t be bothered if an employer found it and was using my social media posts to decide on hiring me or not. What methods do you apply for yourself to keep your online privacy?
References:
Gimlet Reply All. (2015, April 1). #18 Silence and Respect[Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/18-silence-and-respect
LaMorte, Wayne W. (2018, August 29). Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Retrieved from http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories4.html
Microsoft Research. (2012, April 12). The Future of Privacy in Social Media. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=lxaI4_9xr-Y
Comments