In week 9, we discussed new image-sharing platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat and the public consequences of tagging and sharing personal photography and similar visual content. According to Nathan Jurgenson (2014), media objects are the fundamental unit of experiences for networkers to view, remark and share. We live in a networked society in which we believe that informing others on different digital platforms of what we are doing, where we are or what we are eating is a necessity. This is an underlying idea of digital footprints in which we as social network consumers, leave a path of records, snapshots and files of our private lives for the whole world to see. We all that that one person on Facebook who checks into some restaurant or fast food place every day and let’s be honest we all think “who cares?” We are also obsessed with making sure a photo looks perfect before we upload it, with the fear of it being ignored or not getting enough likes because we didn’t use the right filter on Instagram. Although it is important to socialize and post regularly, not everything needs to be publicised. The private sphere focuses on individualistic goals and values whereas public sphere discusses social values comprehensively and collectively. During my group presentation I discussed how the public sphere and private sphere can often overlap with one another. As Anthony mentioned in the lecture the concept of digital cocooning is the intertwining of the public and private in which individuals can communicate privately in a public setting (e.g. by sending a text message to someone while they are at a restaurant). In addition to publishing visuals, the searchability of the content is an important technological concept of visible publics. Hashtags have become a form of interacting, with the ability to locate a writer or post within the digital network. This allows for individuals all over the world to develop ephemeral relationships over similar interests. This is related to videos of affinity where Lange (2009) discusses how unrestricted access to visual information and sharing one’s work can bring individuals a sense of inclusivity or belonging with other network users. One main concern that was heavily reviewed in the tutorial was tagging people in posts or photos on different platforms. It takes less than a minute to upload a photo of someone on Facebook or Instagram and tag that person. Although it is usually done for recreational purposes or as a joke, there is the issue of using the content for humiliation, which then raises concerns of cyberbullying. Despite untagging yourself from the image, everyone can see it on their newsfeed and it becomes such an invasion of privacy and a breach of approval if you don’t want others to see it, especially you’re colleagues at work. An example of unwanted and unauthorised uploading of private photography is the Facebook group and Tumblr blog “Embarrassing Nightclub Photos”. Although most photos are fairly comedic and the individuals aren’t necessarily tagged, it is clear that these photos have been transferred to these platforms without the consent of the individuals in that image. I know that I myself get a little anxious when someone tags me in a horrible photo or post where I don’t want everyone knowing what I was doing or saying. I think that there should be limitations for tagging others however not everyone understands the possible repercussions of it or the anxiety it can cause.
