As social media continues to rise in popularity, so does the increase in concern for privacy and security. Many social media sites offer attractive benefits to its users like, interacting freely with friends and family worldwide, the use of free applications, becoming a member of various interest groups and communities. However, according to some reports, most of the security systems in place for these social networking sites are weak.
A 2009 studies showed that Facebook had a record profit of $1 billion from advertisers worldwide (eMarketer, 2010), a result of using its user profiles, and other social connections for advertising marketing intentions.
Studies show that young adults use social media more than any other age group (Young American Consumers…). As some groups express their concerns over government and privacy advocate groups, others believe young adults are oblivious to online privacy.
Here are a few pointers on what you can do to safeguard your information and privacy.
- Only create and keep connections with people you know and trust.
- Accept that EVERYONE can see information about your personal life that you post and share.
- Be sure the people in your circle take comparable safety measures with their accounts.
- Do not post or tag images of you or your family that shows your face clearly. Choose pictures taken at a distance, an angle, or obscured in some other way. Never post smartphone photos or use your face as a profile photo, instead use a cartoon or avatar.
- Use secured browser settings when available and monitor your browsing history.
- Do not login to or connect third-party sites (e.g. “Facebook Connect” shares your information, and your friends information with third party sites that could misuse your personal information.
- Try not to use too many apps. (e.g. Farmville access and shares your personal information).
References:
EBSCOhost: Yang, Hongwei. Young American Consumers’ Online Privacy Concerns, Trust, Risks, Social Media. Journal of New Communications Research. 2013, Vol. 5 Issue 1, p1-30
