the problem
The generation gap about Facebook, MySpace and privacy
An entire generation of high school and college age young adults seems to be redefining the boundaries of personal privacy by making MySpace and Facebook a seamless part of teen and twenty something daily social life.
To a clueless aging boomer, it feels like you might as well take a personal diary that includes no holds barred accounts of every aspect of your social life, with pictures of what you and your friends have been up to -make millions of color copies and drop them from a low flying airplane all over the country. Of course, its a youth thing - in my case hoards of innocent Americans would be falling asleep in broad daylight - kind of a yawn flu pandemic.
the solution
Not a clue
This phenom is only a few years old. Facebook started in 2004 and has 7.5 million members.We are going to have to wait and see what happens as this crew grows up into the post-college world of careers and bosses, lawsuits and snooping lawyers, reporters and newsworthy activities including runs for elected office with this voyeur's treasure trove of personal details and photos waiting to be used or abused. This generation is going have to come up with their own version of Clintons "I didn't inhale". Thank goodness this demographic is so cautious and risk adverse - oy. In the shorter term it may help explain the muted reaction to the Bush administration's warrantless eavesdropping. "Wow- a right of privacy - that sounds sooo awesome- What was it again?"
