K.G. Schneider, at Free Range Librarian, made a great post on top technology trends for an upcoming ALA panel.
It’s great. It’s almost a mix of a “State of the Nation” for technology in libraries and a preview of what we can face. But for all the technology talk, the most interesting point, for me, dealt with what Schneider called “Soft Privacy.”
I, as an internet user on the cusp of the Gen X/Millenial divide, wrestle with this issue every time I go online. I love the Amazon recommends list, but I don’t like that they track me. I love that I’ve actually reconnected with old friends via Friendster, but I don’t like that anyone can find me. I love blogging because it means that I am joining in the conversation and growing because of that, but it’s strange to just put posts out there without formal reviewing and editing. I’ve rationalized it all by focusing on the fact that I’m choosing exactly what information is out there about myself. I might list the books I’m reading, but not all the books I’m reading. I might blog about library issues, but I don’t blog about specifics of my job or school experiences.
Schneider said that the two key aspects of soft privacy are awareness and control. I’d say I’ve got that covered, but I’ve talked with 14 year olds who don’t. They, don’t, however want to be spied on. Should part of our information literacy efforts be to help them learn awareness and control?
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