Bas van den Beld
May 16, 2011

In a perfect world, the debate about privacy matters should be just what social media claims to be: a conversation. What do we want to see and what do we want to give away to Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple? It’s time to openly talk about it.

The Privacy Debate

Privacy is a hot topic these days, just as it has been for years now.

I began following and taking part in the privacy debate many years ago, when I briefly chatted with Kara Swisher at a conference and asked her what it takes to be a successful blogger. One valuable tip she gave me: “focus on the privacy scene, that is going to be big.”

This was many years ago, when nobody had mentioned the word privacy in relation to online. That is quite different these days.

Privacy vs. Relevance

Privacy is a difficult topic. Because wanting "total" privacy collides with that other thing we really want: relevance. We want to see relevant ads, we want to see relevant search results, and we want to be "close" to our friends.

In a way, we've gone back to where we came from before the introduction of mass media: we want to rely on the opinions of those closest to us. Where we used to be going to a theatre play because someone told us it was a good play, these days we go see a movie because somebody we know "liked" it on Facebook.

It is quite similar to what we've always done, there are however a few vital differences:

Our number of friends has grown. I recently talked to a family member who turned 16. She had a Sweet 16 party for which she had invited 160 friends! Now, I had some friends when I was 16, but 160? No way. The difference can be explained in the use of social media (and in the fact that she is a 16-year-old blonde). Not only because there is more reach, but also because it is easier to keep in touch. Where in the past you used to "lose" friends because you just wouldn't see them anymore, they stay within your social circle.
The speed of things. The web has increased speed immensely. We can act and react a lot quicker than in the past. This means we want much more relevancy in what we do online. We don't want something which is a week or even a month old, we want relevant stuff, right now.
We want to be able to share with a lot more people and we want to see what everybody is doing instead of just our closest 10 friends. We want to know other people’s opinions, respond to them, and act based on them.

These three major changes make that we have to give something in return: our privacy. In order to receive information quickly, from a lot of people and act on it, those people have to tell us what they think, do and like. In order for them to see what we think, do and like, we have to give out our information.

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http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2070969/The-Privacy-Debate-Sho...