Social Media: Issues of Control and Choice

When requiring students to use social media tools as part of a course, it is imperative for instructors to help educate students about these types of tools and their associated risks. I think the most important point to emphasize is that once we post something online, we begin the process of losing control over our online personal information and what others choose to do with that information. We may retain some control using privacysettings and other strategies, but more than likely not as much as we assume.

A classmate recently shared an interesting TED Talk link (on.ted.com/e0HHZ) discussing this very issue. In the article, computer scientist Jennifer Golbeck states that “right now in the U.S. it’s essentially the case that when you post information online, you give up control of it. So there are terms of service that regulate the sites you use . . . but even within those, you’re essentially handing control of your data over to the companies.” Economist Alessandro Acquisti also warns, “We really don’t know how this information will be used in the long run.”

Students need to be aware that the digital footprints they’re creating now could affect them for the rest of their lives, in both positive and negative ways. As Eric Sheninger stated in a 2012 NPR interview, “Once you put it on a social media site, it is there for anyone to, not only access, but they can then share that information, they can repurpose it, they can adapt it. . . Once it's archived, it can be accessed.” As instructors, we should encourage students to make mindful choices about the content they post online by helping them understand how their online data can potentially affect the rest of their lives.

In an information literacy and research skills course, one exercise to get students thinking more about their digital footprint would be to assign the article, “How to Google Yourself (and Why You Should Do It)” by Simon Tam. Students would then research themselves using search engines and social media to discover the results, positive or negative, that others might find about them online. While the actual results don’t need to be revealed, students should discuss the research process, as well as their feelings about the experience and about finding or not finding certain personal information online. This activity is designed to encourage students to consider how they would prefer to present themselves online; it also promotes the importance of exercising any and all control (little as that may be) over maintaining a positive online identity.