What my inner Teenage Girl thinks about Online Privacy and Security.
Online security is an issue… for some people. My generation has lived most of their lives with technology. People are getting cell phones at a younger and younger age. It is not foreign or new? We have not been given any reason not to trust it. In all honesty, we have been given every reason to trust our phones and the internet with most of everything. Our personal experience and understanding of technology only reinforces this trust. Rarely do we hear of situations where technology has majorly failed us to the point of no return.
Yes, technology fails us. But in minor ways. It has not completely dismissed our trust. The benefits of 
trusting and using the internet significantly out weight the negatives and risks. The internet is slow and doesn’t load our video. An app we are in the middle of using, crashes. We loose a large file due to a virus. Our AshleyMadison site goes public. But even these situations are less and less common. With the cloud, all of our information is constantly backed up and we can always spend more on faster internet. Situations like the hack in target, identity theft happen and Ashley Madison do happen, and we are aware. But we don’t feel the fear because we have too much understanding of how technology works to be afraid of it.
When doing research online concerning this topic, I discovered many more reasons to care then not. Although, the people publishing articles and research are going to be those that care. They are trying to convince those that don’t care to do something to protect themselves. If my generation doesn’t care about online privacy or security, they are not going to put the time and effort into researching and documenting why it doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t.
For the people who are concerned about online and technology’s trustworthiness, it is an important issue to address. Below are some of their major points. To give further perspective on young people’s perspective, I have put on my teenage girl sassy pants to explain what I believe their response to these would be.
1. Constant public monitoring “takes away our inerrant freedoms and breeds conformity”
I still feel pretty free – they are not keeping me from doing what I want just because they know where I am. I mean to quote Miley, “Can’t stop, won’t stop”
2. Privacy is a limit on governmental and corporate power
Why does it matter if they know all of my shopping habits and opinions.? If anything, it helps me get the latest pair of shoes faster because they know what I like and they know what size I wear. It sounds like a great thing.
I do that myself by putting only the best selfies online at just the right angle.
4. Maintaining Appropriate Social Boundaries
What do you not want people to know? What are you trying to hide? And if it is that important or that secretive, make your friends pinky promise not to say anything.
How does my Instagram effect someone’s trust of me? What breaches of confidentiality are happening on my twitter account that would ruin my trust? How is my Facebook profile losing people’s trust? ….I’m confused.
All of the personal data that business/government have only make my life easier. They already know when my birthday is so that on that day, I get all the free things. Sounds pretty awesome to me!
7. Freedom of Thought and Speech
Trust me, this will not stop the nerdy kid in the back of my math class from posting all of his unpopular opinions about the football team on twitter. Technology gives everyone’s words more listening voices and encourages their freedom of speech.
8. Freedom of Social and Political Activities
Don’t people want to be heard? And why would you not share your opinions? It seems rather silly.
9. Ability to Change and Have Second Chances
I am pretty sure there is a delete option on every single social media and your snapchat story only lasts for 24 hours. You will get a second chance to have a cooler life.
10. Not Having to Explain or Justify Oneself
You mean there was a time you were not constantly concerned about how you were being perceived? That existed?
Obviously some of these ideas are a bit of a stretch, but the point is, I don’t think the younger generation cares. They have existed in it, trust and understand that it is continually getting better. They understand that it is not perfect and that is just life.