By Anonymous

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"For my generation, being anonymous is no longer an option" (See The Privacy Divide). Wow. A pretty strong and somewhat scary statement. Is it true? Or, is it simply hyperbole? When I stop to think about my social media footprint and the platforms frequented all day everyday by my friends and acquaintances, the answer is plain to see. My generation lives its life in the public view. We are all, in a sense, public celebrities, as we share all the details from where we are, to what we are doing, to what we ate for dinner on the internet. Will we be forever haunted by our online presence? Can we do anything to put the brakes on this speeding train of losing our personal right to privacy? Does true personal privacy no longer exist in a world dominated by social media and technology?

I think there are a few ways that we can try to limit our public exposure. Personally, I have accounts on virtually every common social media account like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. While I do look at these apps multiple times per day, I really to not post too often, or at least I think that the older I get, the frequency of my posts declines.

 I've looked through my accounts to regain some privacy by making sure that my privacy settings are set so that my postings are protected as much as possible. (See How to Stay Anonymous Online). However, I also know that it is naive to believe that anything we post is truly limited to its intended viewers. Screenshots can be taken and set loose upon the world...your face sent spinning like a virus through the universe. It's interesting that we use the word "virus" when we talk about something that spreads online. Are we all being exposed to this sickness? Perhaps, anonymity is the vaccination to protect us.


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