The open web, or better worded “openly sharing yourself online,” is beneficial to society as a whole. This comes with a myriad of caveats, but in general, I think it is important. There is so much to be learned from one person. A person’s experiences can guide others in a certain direction (or away) based on situational circumstances.
For (a hyper-specific) example, in my first post here on microblog, I cited that my wife and oldest son were overcoming food poisoning from shrimp. I could list the name of the retailer and the specific product purchased to warn others to (at least temporarily) stay away. This situation could be considered very private. I mean it’s gross, and it impacted 2 members/ 50% of my human household. Sharing this openly could prevent others from succumbing to the same results.
For a different (broader) example, I could cite my experiences in the U.S. Army. For reference, I am not a pro-war, pro-gun, pro-anything violent person, but I was in the military for four years. It served me very well for the time I spent in. I am not recruiting anyone into the military. I will practically forbid both of my sons from following in my footsteps in that regard. However, for a person who is like how I was as a teen, this is a feasible option when there are few/ no others. I was stuck in my hometown. I was extremely underpaid, lived well below poverty, and worked at least 40 hours per week. I needed out. The military job I chose was afforded to me because of my analytical abilities and a score on a test. That job (mostly) kept me away from harm to myself or harm to others. It allowed for the opportunity to do that job as a civilian at a wonderful rate of pay (I declined that option). I spent 4 years in the Army, and one year of that was in occupied* Iraq (*this is debatable, but I’m not here for political discourse. I’m not Iraqi, nor were 98% of the people I worked with, yet there we were.) The Army circumstantially allowed me to meet my wife, to later move to Connecticut, attend the school I attend now, and eventually to this blog. Many of those things could have happened without the military, but I can almost guarantee I would not be here writing anything along these lines without the experience. My point, with the life story bit, is that I could help someone in a similar situation as I was in. I could share, in pretty great detail, what my experience was like and even offer advice for their journey. That’s being open.
Privacy I don’t regularly share my experiences with shrimp or the military. If I do, there is usually some relative context surrounding the conversation, and I would never posit an opinion about the military, war, a specific grocer’s seafood section, or the effects of said seafood section without openly mentioning that ahead of time. I am of the opinion that little we do online is “private” in the sense of “it’s just me talking to you and you talking to me.” We know that is not the case unless we left our electronics inside and went for a quiet walk through the neighborhood to talk. “They” are always listening.
However, when I think of “privacy” online, I think of what I am sharing with whom. Sometimes I block people from certain posts. Sometimes I refrain from commenting because of someone else’s privacy settings. More often than not, nowadays, I keep my opinions in person and family photos online. I do not use Twitter for more than entertainment purposes. Literally. I follow musicians who I like and rarely interact. Similarly, my Instagram handle is records_mostly. I post pictures of records I am listening to. I follow other like-minded users and musicians who I appreciate. There are a few family and friends on there, but their interactions are relatively limited. Facebook. Ugh, Facebook. I use it because I am not native to where I live and am able to share posts with family and friends abroad about my children (I’m old now, they only care about my kids). The last post I made (shared, really) was over 2 months ago. My linked in is incredibly outdated. I don’t think my old MySpace is around any longer. That’s pretty much it. I am extremely private online. On the surface. I’m sure that anyone with half the ability to could take one of my Instagram posts, locate my coordinates with a picture, somehow manipulate the web into tracking my Google accounts and steal my credit card information within a few minutes. I’m certain that is possible. My limited understanding of the background of the online world leaves me vulnerable, probably. However, ignorance is bliss. Until my credit cards are maxed out and my bank account is emptied, I’ll consider my situation pretty private.
