The Datasexual

In my second week of blogging I had discussed quite a bit about privacy, and explained that with social media, I think there is no such thing - only an illusion of control. When reading and surfing the internet this week, I came across a TED talk that discussed two major themes that have interest me after taking my two summer classes - identity and big data.

(source: TEDx Talks; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRrgD-4-D8s)

Three interesting points were raised:

The Datasexual. This was a new term I heard. The speaker, Pernille Tranberg, explained that the datasexual is polar opposite of a 100% private person. He/she shares every single data point about his/herself. For example, sharing the number of steps taken during the day, sharing what he/she is having for breakfast/lunch//dinner, and even their outfit of the day (OOTD)..

The New Standard of Privacy? "It is about controlling who knows what, about you, when." This is how Tranberg defines the new standard of privacy. She concedes that it is close to impossible to keep all your information away from everybody as it closely linked to our identity. And for many of us that use our real identities even behind a computer, privacy is then about controlling who has access to that information.

Radical Transparency. The speaker explains how like many of us attempt to find friends who are authentic, the same could be said of online relationships and communities. And one way for us to feel like someone is authentic, is when he/she has nothing to hide, and shares everything. However, Tranberg warns of just some of the pitfalls that come with radical transparency (as satisfying as it may be). Risks such as social profiling, and insurance risk are just some she mentioned. 

Josh, out.