Privacy

David Rosenblum writes that what makes some love social networks is the “Online

Intimacy” that is so alluring. Social communication is intrinsically personal, and when the need

for connection is fulfilled, they feel satisfied. A social network is the most intimate and invasive

network that many people belong too. When something is invasive and intimate, it conflicts with

the idea of safe privacy. These networks are truly intimate though, with one’s actions being

traceable via Google. This is virtual voyeurism, there is absolutely no commitment. All these

online networks are what some prefer, the virtual intimacy. Everyone has bulletproof social

armor, or so people think. They search the internet for more and more communities to join, more

people to connect to. Nobody fears rejection, for if they aren’t accepted in one community, they

can just look for another. If some connections get weird, one can just log off for a while and wait

for the tension to go down. Awkward social situations in person, one cannot disappear from, but

online, one can just disappear. Something that does arise though, is that some online posts can

move into real-live conversations due to a lack of privacy. With the settings provided by these

social networks, one can choose to not give information away, or not share a photo of themselves

with certain “friends” or the outside world.