If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
I am less interested in the business model than the value our culture is putting on what is still perhaps the most important news gathering institution in the world -- versus the value it is placing on a social media company.
Propaganda is an instrument of war used by a government, primarily but not exclusively, against a present or possibly future enemy, and a democratic government should not propagandize its own people.
If history is any guide, advances in privacy have tended to arise in the wake of widespread privacy abuses. Something similar may be happening today with data breaches and identity theft, as more and more people come to understand the pain and consequences of personal data misuse.
Ravi's Twitter posts, webcam spying, and homophobic attitude were stigmatizing, and it is possible that these pushed Clementi to a tipping point. But Clementi's suicide did not happen in a bubble with only him and Ravi; it took place in a society in which homophobia is still rampant.
We'll take a trip down Internet memory lane in this week's "60 Seconds of Social Media" to see how it all began.
The days of unrestrained Internet downloads and open access content are approaching the end. People are the Internet's biggest content owners and they want their share of value.
By the time my daughter is 18 she will have sent more than half a million texts. As a parent and a digital immigrant, I find this technology use daunting. Parents, we are conducting an experiment on our own kids in real time -- and we still have no idea what the effect will be.
The most powerful forces making the case for sharing personal information are not philosophers or media pundits -- they are social media companies and other corporations who have a lot to gain from our social norms about privacy changing.
When it comes to Facebook, we are still trying to figure out two things: what it is worth to us, and how much it should cost.
But lest these remarks paint me as an irritated, bitter (no, I'm not yet married myself) observer of this behavior, I should let you in on a little secret: I'm going to give all these Facebook-updating gals a run for their money when it's my turn.
It started with a simple message from Facebook: "Shawn Hayes has sent you a friend request. Click Confirm or Not Now." Definitely now, I thought as I clicked to accept.
At what point do we consider a person an expert? Most of us would expect an expert to have grey hair and a big Dr. in front of their name. However, this particular job title makes me rethink that idea -- Social Media Expert.
Sure, there might be cooler places on the Internet, but who feels like making the schlep? As much as we might despise it, we can't help but sign into it.
Positive engagement is the social proof people need to do business with you, especially if someone they know is engaging with you, too. This social proof helps build trust, something you just can't buy with advertising.
Say goodbye to the individual investor on Wall Street. Whatever positive impression they had of the IPO market and the stock market in general was just torched to the ground.
Just as parents caution their children about the dangers of playing in the street or running with scissors, they must also educate and work with their children in developing personal privacy strategies.
