Is Privacy Dead?
Snap-chat, Instagram, Facebook… All of these are just a few of the critical ways that the world is taking your individualism and privacy to the next level. How many accounts do you have, and how many of you use your real name? Well, based on how many people in the world exist, and how many of these easily faked accounts exist, there a lot of people who don’t use real names and a lot who have multiple and multiple accounts. Identity theft is common among this vast world of internet, and it seems as if we are confused with who we truly are. Take Catfish the MTV documentary as an example.
“From the producers of the acclaimed documentary film, “Catfish,” comes a new MTV series that brings together couples who've interacted solely through their LCD screens. Over the course of months or years - these romantics have become smitten - but what will happen when they meet in real life for the first time?”
Catfish uses social media as a large example of how the people behind the telephone screen or computer screen may truly not be who they say that they are. It is definitely a new world of communication, with a twist on true identity. In the documentary series, Nev and Max describe the reason for naming the show because of the definition. They posted on their home page this definition.
catfish [kat-fish] verb: To pretend to be someone you’re not online by posting false information, such as someone else’s pictures, on social media sites usually with the intention of getting someone to fall in love with you.
So, in retrospect, how do we truly know who the person behind the computer screen is, and how do we protect ourselves? Well, if only we were living inside Dave Eggers’ novel, The Circle, we would be able to fix this problem with TruYou. TruYou is a one password, one identity solvent to the mystery we face within social media. McMillan states how in the Circle “TruYou is the password product that made The Circle so powerful.” How entertaining would it be to search for Rihanna’s profile online and know that each one you see is truly Rihanna and not a scam pretending to be her? That is exactly the solution to privacy that the Circle has created. Take for example in the book The Circle when they are discussing who exactly they believe wants to be discrete about their identity on the internet.
“Why would any non-porn site want anonymous users when they could know exactly who had come through the door? Overnight, all comment boards became civil, all posters held accountable. The trolls, who had more or less overtaken the internet, were driven back into the darkness.” -The Circle
Truth of the matter is, do we all want to be anonymous or do we want to be known? Should we agree that privacy is dead?
1. McMillan, Graeme. "Headline: Dave Eggers’ The Circle: What the Internet Looks Like If You Don’t Understand It." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 01 May 2015.
2. Steve, Henn. “Teens Dig Digital Privacy, If Snapchat Is Any Indication.”All Things Considered (NPR) (2013): Points of View Reference Center. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.