Privacy, what's that?

What are our rights online?

People tend to get worked up over online privacy.  I get it...it's a BIG deal.  However, are we getting upset at the wrong thing?  People want to blame the internet for their problems.  "Oh the internet caused me to not get the job" or "If it wasn't for the internet I wouldn't have been caught" etc.  But the thing  is, the internet isn't making stuff up...it is simple publishing what a person is actually doing.  So...whose fault is it really?  If you don't want to be seen in a negative light then don't do those things. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree that the internet makes it harder to be a teen these days.  Or even an adult...they have been destroyed by it just as much. But it isn't the internet's fault.  People need to realize that the world is an unforgiving place and their actions have consequences.  

With that being said I believe that we as fellow humans need to recognize how unforgiving the world is and be a little forgiving ourselves.  Don't just blame the internet, let's take personal responsibility and have real forgiveness from our peers, employers, and roles of authority.  If we treat each other like humans and not robots the world will be nicer.    

Instagram or Instaglam?

Fashion

Instagram

     Instagram has slowly taken the world by storm with one hashtag connection at a time.  Countless teenage girls have found a passion for posing in front of the camera with the now ever popular "selfie" uploaded to one of their various social media outlets, namely Instagram.   This form of social media has led many average people to glamorize their otherwise mundane lives with some fancy filters and intriguing hashtags.  However, this outlet for peoples' lives is not simple effecting individuals who post their own photos on this site. 

The Fashion Industry

    This site is now a location for all major companies to advertise their products in a way that makes it seem like they are just part of the regular crowd.  An article in the New York Times, Fashion in the Age of Instagram, discusses the actions of viewers at a recent Paris fashion show.  The audience members were not simply sitting viewing the show, but rather were illuminated by it.  This illuminating light was coming from their smartphones.  The audience was snapping photos and videos of the show and immediately uploading them to Instagram.  This gets the clothes out without the designer doing any extra advertising.

A Positive or Negative

   The designers admit in the article that they often fall into the trap of designing clothes based on how they will photograph verses how they will present in a showroom.  The younger generation is wired differently.  We are not trained to see clothes for the first time in person, rather we see what we want online first.  Thus, designers are concerned more with the photogenic qualities of an outfit.

   Does this create a vicious cycle?  Are we as viewers prompted to join the #selfie craze because our clothes just look so fabulous in photos? Gone are the days of simply putting on an outfit and looking with pride in the mirror at how good you look and heading out for the day brimming with confidence.  Now the thought process is, "I look good, better Instagram this, hope I get a lot of likes!"   

   I think that social media has given designers a great outlet to reach their target audiences, but I don't think the audience should only wear the clothes for the virtual world.  Let's stay in the real world.  But hey, if you're working it, mine as well share it.   

Google, harmless or harmful?

Google

   I can't think of a person who doesn't know what Google is.  It runs our online lives.  I find myself opening Google even from other search engines.  It is the only search engine that I trust.  Why is that? Well from the information that I have learned about Google it is probably because it has exactly what I like.  It picks the links that I would want, it is my one stop shop.  When I think about this...how does Google know me so well?  It becomes a bit disturbing when I process how much is known about me by this cyberspace robot that I know nothing about yet trust with basically my whole life...

Privacy

   Often I think of online "creepers" as being middle aged men who make fake profiles and lure young girls to meet them.  I consider myself safe because I don't give my information out to people online that I don't know...or do I? Anyone who knows their way around Google could potentially access information that pertains to my personal life.  This is a scary thought.  If someone at Google wanted to find out about me, they have access to my electronic paper trail.  However, I do think that most of the things that I Google do not put me in any danger. Nor do the things that I post online.  It is just a scary thought to think of those that over-post online.  It could happen to anyone.  It is important to be mindful of everything that we post online. 

Protection

   I think that online safety is something that the younger generations should be educated on.  It is hard though because talking to kids about online safety often goes in one ear and out the other because they can't imagine anything bad happening.  I was the same way, hindsight can be 20/20 though.  The people who have been victimized by the internet probably didn't think they were being put in harms way either.  If anyone has any ideas on how to promote internet safety in a way to get through to kids I think it is worth sharing. 
  

Blog about bloggers talking about blogging.

Background

For my first blog post I chose to review the interview of Trine-Maria Kristensen.  Kristensen's blog, titled "hovedetpaabloggen", which means "Head on the Block" or "To Dare" in Danish is an outlet for her to help organizations understand social media and how to use it in their business ventures. The blog is mostly in Danish, but it does translate to English and she will answer questions in English.  Kristensen currently lives in Copenhagen with her husband where she continues to blog.

The Connection  

What I was drawn to in this article was her true passion for blogging that she conveyed through her textual voice.  She was constantly happy when discussing her blog- made evident by her use of smileys, ":-)", and her tone throughout.  In all of her answers she demonstrates her enjoyment for what she does on a regular basis, posting to her blog.  I found a connection to her in the sense that she was confused by blogging in the beginning.  It took her some time to become comfortable sharing her thoughts/ideas.  However, she is a success story and now is not shy about her opinions at all.  I hope the same will happen through this blog for me! She is often posting about what sites can do to improve. She most always provides useful feedback and links to the company so that they can see her feedback and hopefully engage in communication with her.  I like her attitude of not hurting the people she talks about, her mentality is more about constructive criticism. 

Loves her Readers First and Foremost

She has a genuine love for her readers and makes the comment, "I always say that I prefer to have 15 engaged readers to 1500 who don't care about me or my blog."  She likes the idea of blogging as a network which is truly the spirit of blogging.  Kristensen is a positive influence to blogging, she shares a passion for the community sense of the job and thrives on the opportunity to provoke discussion.  She uses her blog to promote positive change in order to help others,  "I often say that the more I blog the more naive I become. I truly believe that people can and will work together to change the world (or at least change organizations), and that we will come up with even better solutions when we work together."  I found her attitude to be refreshing.  She is a good example to follow of how to communicate effectively and positively through blogging.