Teodora Pavkovic analyzes:  Social media and privacy  

Humanitech Era Part III – The final reflection 

Introduction, questions and final words by Alfredo Pupillo

All responses by Teodora Pavkovic

Introduction

In this final article, Teodora leads us deeper into one of the central themes of the conference: our experience on social media.

The following is a list of the main topics presented:

• Human rights on social media
• The complexity and limitations of privacy 
• Social responsability
• The control social media exerts over our lives
• Mental health and suffering on social media
• Young people’s experiences
• How Covid is influencing our social media experience
• Experiences from Teodora’s professional consulting practice
• Trends

Can you tell us about the relationship between mental health and privacy?

The right to privacy is an essential human right, one that has undoubtedly become harder to uphold in the digital age. It is a double-sided coin, in the sense that the responsibility to protect our personal information lies both on us and on other people, and I believe it has become more challenging for both sides to fully realize that responsibility. Not only that, but the very definition of privacy has shifted with the introduction of platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, used to share some of the most intimate moments of our lives with hundreds, thousands, and sometimes millions of other people. It isn't just about social media though - there are numerous other channels through which we also share our personal data (many are integrated within social media platforms), such as service apps like Uber, wearables such as Fitbit, and entertainment apps like Spotify.

When we look at the present-day digital landscape, we realize that - in some ways - we have actually never had more control over our privacy. While recognizing the power of all of the alluring features of persuasive design as well as the complex language used in most Privacy Policies, we still have to remember that it is ultimately our own finger on the "post" and "accept" buttons and it is our own choice as to what, why, how, when, and if we post any given detail of our life. And this is where our mental health as the users becomes a relevant issue, because we find that people feel differently about posting personal information online: some find that it actually helps to improve and preserve their wellbeing and they love to share a lot of information, whereas others find that the responses and interactions they end up having impact their mood and thinking negatively and they prefer not to share too much. It’s important to introspect and see where you stand on this issue, and what you are most comfortable with - don’t [over]share simply because that’s just what everyone is doing nowadays.

So, when it comes to making decisions around sharing online, what I recommend is that people always consider the what, why, how, when and if of their posts, and that they never forget that they have no control over what others will do with the information they have just shared. The simple truth is that sharing our own experiences, thoughts and other details of our lives online leave us very vulnerable.

This last point is vitally important, because this is where we have seen the mental health of young people in particular suffer over the past several years: the design of our digital meeting places means that any number of people can respond in any number of ways to our existence in the virtual world, with no guarantee that anyone will be kind, gracious or supportive. My definition of what it means to be digital well can offer some additional guidance here: "Being Digitally Well means using technology mindfully, intentionally and humanely in such a way, that it doesn't tarnish your psychological and emotional well-being or the psychological and emotional well-being of others."

How can we identify healthy levels of privacy on social media? Symptoms/Signs

This is one of the most important questions of the modern digital age, and the hardest to answer. Keeping in mind, again, that the protection of privacy is both our job and the job of others (other users and the platforms themselves), I think we are doing important work to ensure that the apps and platforms we use step-up their privacy protection game. It is unlikely, though, that we will ever be able to come up with one widely-accepted set of good vs bad privacy habits to follow as individuals, simply because the power to share is in each of our individual hands.

There was a recent example that, I think, serves as the perfect case study for this question. In October of this year, well-known couple Crissy Teigen and John Legend decided to share the news of the tragic loss of their third child, who was stillborn at just over 4 months of Crissy's pregnancy. The couple chose to share the news in - literally - graphic detail, in the form of photographs taken from the hospital room as the tragedy was unfolding, with one photograph even showing their swaddled stillborn child. The response they received was split, with some people thanking and praising them, and others criticizing them harshly for sharing such intimate details with the world via social media. In response, Teigen said: “I lived it, I chose to do it, and more than anything, these photos aren’t for anyone but the people who have lived this or are curious enough to wonder what something like this is like. These photos are only for the people who need them. The thoughts of others do not matter to me.”

Her response encapsulates perfectly just how difficult it is to identify what "healthy" levels of privacy on social media ultimately are and how [over]sharing can be defined, but it also reminds us that when it comes to social media use as individuals, we not only have the power to decide what content we create but what content we consume too.

And so, when it comes to sharing personal information online, we need to be seriously vigilant about sharing information that can be potentially dangerous in the 'real world' (for example, excessive "sharenting" by parents of sensitive information such as their children's location), but when it comes to sharing the private intimate moments of our lives that won't necessarily harm anyone else, it is up to us to employ a mindful approach that explores the meaning behind that sharing.

Are these levels different now as compared to before Covid?

I would say they undoubtedly are - but not necessarily in a bad way.

The pandemic has changed both our offline and online behaviors in so many significant ways, that it is interesting to consider how privacy levels, in particular, have been impacted. We know that the restrictions around connecting in-person have swiftly led us to connecting online more than ever before, and given that everyone's mental health has been so deeply impacted by the spread of this virus, we have witnessed a huge outpour of social support and encouragement on various social media platforms. I myself have seen some beautiful examples of people reaching out to complete strangers on social media - especially to those living by themselves - and offering to be someone they can communicate with and check-in with so that they feel less scared and alone during these difficult times.

People's honest sharing about the state of their mental health has led to these types of incredibly humane digital interactions, and so I do think that this global state of worry has given us the permission (and in some cases, the imperative) to share more about what we think and feel. And as long as we remain mindful, respectful, and compassionate, I think that the current levels of sharing are alright - this, however, is without taking into consideration what the various tech platforms are going to be doing with all of this data we are sharing.

HUMANITECH was organized by Teodora Pavkovic and Anya Pechko, with the support of David Klein and Patrick McAndrew.

Final words

In this article, I preferred not to include our usual "Key Concepts," to keep these topics open for further reflection.