Social Media: The Privacy Issues - Special Academic Support

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Sharing private information through social media is commonplace in todays society and lifestyle. Individuals use numerous social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram. These users share their private information, particularly upon registration to become a member of the sites. They also reveal their private information by making regular updates and posts that they put online. As a result, an individual can easily be traced and manipulated through the information offered on these websites making internet privacy a major concern. This sheds light on the importance of learning technological abilities to enable social media users deal with the issue of privacy on these websites. This argumentative essay will discuss the privacy issues that users may encounter on social media and argue that it is important to have a balance between privacy and online confidentiality to operate effectively in both the offline and online worlds.

One of the disadvantages of social media is its exposure of peoples private lives to the online world and worldwide audience. Users of social media sites, such as Facebook, have become more and more open as they willingly reveal too much of their personal information on these websites. Today, the issue of sharing too much personal information has become the societal standard, forgetting that this information can be utilized in a variety of ways, including negative methods such as stalking or identity theft (Kelly and Guskin). Users of social media sites must examine what information they are uploading or sharing online and with whom they are sharing it (Kelly and Guskin). Through this, a balance between privacy and internet disclosure of information must be achieved and maintained, as failure to do so may negatively affect online users.

A thorough awareness of privacy concerns and social media is essential to comprehend this issue. Recently, many people have used and been drawn to social media sites as they allow users to communicate and relate in different ways. These websites enable individuals to create a network that characterizes their social contacts, share online content easily, provide platforms for online communication, and share their daily activities and experiences with their mates and the virtual communities (Ayaburi and Daniel 171). However, social media has led to several potential hazards to users privacy. This is evident when data about a user is being uploaded and further distributed in many circumstances without authorization, request, or approval (Ayaburi and Daniel 171). As a result, social media tests and distorts private information.

Furthermore, social media users have grown accustomed to sharing personal information, and as a result, they are unaware of the hazards and risks that they subject themselves to and confront online due to privacy concerns. It is enjoyable and great to share their daily activities and lifestyles with family and friends online, but as Kelly and Guskin point out, digital material is constantly permanent and may be duplicated, reused, and spread. Users will supply information about their location, region, mobile number, and birthdate, among other things, when building a social media profile. Such data is freely accessible by hackers and the general public, and it is one of the ways through which identity theft occurs (Ayaburi and Daniel 172). Since the information is shared and saved on social media networking sites, ones identity can be stolen or viewed by anyone.

Stalking is another issue that arises due to privacy concerns. Users can choose to make their profiles private, but their group memberships and friendships links are usually available to their shared public (Ayaburi and Daniel 172). This is one of the ways that data leakage occurs; individuals who are not friends may see those postings in which they are tagged, and they can access and read users personal information even if their profile is configured to be private. Additionally, such data links may allow malicious actors to be aware of and track ones internet activity. Such dangers might also arise when a person befriends other individuals online without taking the time to learn about their identities (Kelly and Guskin). Individuals sharing their everyday activities online is now the standard and trend (Ayaburi and Daniel 176). Users often post and share images while at the mall, and this is one of the ways that stalkers may track users every step, as well as their activities and routines on a daily basis.

Despite the need for discretion when it relates to exposing personal data, there are a lot of advantages to participating in online discussions. In real life, the establishment of social ties allows for selective disclosure of personal data, a sense of being closer to another person, and knowledge of each other (Ayaburi and Daniel 179). Individuals can now form and build social relationships with one another by doing so through social networking sites. This allows them to get to know other users better and create online friendships (Ayaburi and Daniel 179). Therefore, social media has provided people with a channel and network with which they can socialize and build social ties with others regardless of time or location.

In addition to this, social media has had a tremendous impact on todays world, and it has transformed the way people think about the amount of data that should and should not be displayed or shared publicly (Kelly and Guskin). When computers and the internet first became common in the early 2000s, it was inconceivable for people to share their location, images, or their names online without considering their privacy and security. Users have allowed and encouraged this technology to transform and increase their zones of tolerance because of the flexibility it offers them to trade information online, making it pleasant and easy to do so over time, thanks to the development of social media in the mid-2000s (Kelly, and Guskin). Ayaburi and Daniel go so far as to say that privacy is no longer considered the social norm (181). Despite the benefits of online disclosure, such as the union of individuals and the formation of social relationships, users must remember and realize that they must use the majority of social media while preserving and prioritizing their privacy.

The relationship between social media and privacy has been highlighted and considered critical and necessary in sharing information on social media. The consequences and hazards of ignoring privacy concerns have been weighed against the social advantages of the disclosure. As a result, logical answers for social networking users include understanding how these media sites operate and function and making the most use of the media sites privacy policies and capabilities to create a safer online world for sharing personal data and talking to others. The ability of social media to improve social interactions must be welcomed and appreciated, but a balance between websites disclosure of information and privacy must be maintained on a regular basis.

Works Cited

Ayaburi, Emmanuel W., and Daniel N. Treku. Effect of Penitence on Social Media Trust and Privacy Concerns: The Case of Facebook. International Journal of Information Management, vol. 50, 2020, pp. 171-181, Web.

Kelly, Heather, and Emily Guskin. Americans Widely Distrust Facebook, TikTok and Instagram with Their Data, Poll Finds. The Washington Post, WP Company, Web.

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