As I write this, I’m in the mist of an IM session with a friend who found her personal information on a website that she never published it to. As a fellow business owner, I could understand her angst towards such info being out there – especially in light of information theft and personal security concerns.
But, one of the sticky points centered around the implications of the sharing culture that we are firmly in the mist of. Specifically, she remarked about how people seem to take no thought to the implications of sharing content, or even their obligations to friends and family when sharing content that contains them. In light of this’s site’s focus around mobile devices, and what they do enable, its also appropriate to look at mobile in these contexts.
Implications of Sharing Content
Many people visit websites and freely share content without clearly understanding what could be done with the information (or the metadata around that information). In some cases, this is because we took the easy way out and “just clicked OK” instead of reading the terms of service. Other times, it because we simply just don’t understand the technology enough to know that there is a positive and negative implication to sharing content.
What are some of these implications? Here are a few based on that conversation that sparked this topic:
- Greater visibility into personal life
- Visibility into personal relationships
- Disclosure of private opinion
- Disclosure of private (to a company or organization) information
Yes, usually speaking, we know about these implications, but we share anyways because its one part the culture, and another part a value assessment (the positive implications outweigh the negative).
But, what happens when those implications turn negative (for example, Facebook and LinkedIn changes their terms of service for their benefit but exposes or curtails your previously held positive value)? Do the implications matter anew, or do we roll with the punches, not taking personal responsibility for the information exchange we have equal stake in?
Obligations to Friends and Family
There’s another side of this managing and sharing of information online that we need to consider before even logging or sharing it – that is, the opinions of friends and family. The same friend referenced above spoke about a family member who posted pictures of her on Facebook, but she wasn’t on Facebook nor gave permission for those pictures to be posted. By law, she would be able to request that the pictures be removed; however, by the nature of the Facebook service, the only way she’d know that pictures of her were published is if someone inside of the service network told her.
In effect, the family member didn’t observe solid manners when posting those pictures by asking for permission first. Yes, its usually implied permission that we take (note: not “give”) when posting pictures of someone online. But, if we are not able to execute their right to change what is shared about them, then we effectively have denied them their rightful voice.
Enter Mobile, and Several More Questions Than Answers
This is where it gets extremely hard to manage mobile. On one end, we can do the right thing by taking pictures or noting content of others, making public only those items which they allow. But, on a mobile device, this is essentially letting someone into your “personal space” and then making the call to go forward or not.
Technically speaking, mobile devices, platforms, and networks don’t allow us the luxury of knowing when someone has taken a picture or written something about us. That would require a level of monitoring and filtering that current networks can’t take, current devices can’t stayed powered for, and current governments just won’t broach (usually).
Within the mobile industry, it is well understood that there’s a ton of money and influence to be made off of understanding and managing the content and the metadata around the content of what is produced on a mobile device. As a part of those topics we talked about in terms of where the Body needs to beef up within the next 10 years, information analytics and intelligence is pretty major. We need to not just understand this as an industry or organization though; there’s got to be a personal understanding towards what exactly we have in our hands towards all the information being generated and tracked. And that means not only to read the terms of service, but to know the law in regards to what to do if your privacy has been compromised.
Scriptural Response
Spiritually, the call is to take the luxury of sharing and connecting as a part of our obligation to “live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18) by putting their perspectives in front of our own (Phillipians 2:3-5). We view our freedom to share in light of the fact that others have something to gain and lose if we aren’t careful of the rules (laws) and opportunities that others can take advantage of. And when presented with a situation that doesn’t work to our advantage, we respectfully, and rightly, take it up with those with the power to change or influence change so that at the end of the day, whatever we shared has given someone the ability to grow in Christ. And if someone becomes offended in the mist of this, we handle this not with the mindset to slander or take revenge, but to extend the same grace to them as we’ve been extended – understanding that the implications of sowing love, joy, grace, peace, and mercy, is a bumper crop of unity (John 17:20-26).
Things You Can Do
If you’ve been the victim of personal information being posted online, or identity theft, your service provider(s), local and national governments, and in some cases even internet service providers/domain hosting companies have policies in place to help rectify the issue. Unfortunately, its much harder to undo the damage than it is to inflict it; but in your communications, be sure to alert those in public office your concerns as it is most likely on their agenda as well (many influential voice can help give rise to a change in this behavior).
Don’t put information online that you don’t want to come back and haunt you later. Do your best to own the information that you do put online (for example: own the servers and/or the software that creates the content, have the ability to leave the service and take your data with you (see The Data Portability Project,), and just use good sense.
Braving the Real World (Mobile Versus Internet)
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010“…to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.”
To any fans of Star Trek, this phrase will ring very familiar. And to those who prescribe to missional and evangelitical contexts within the Christian fiath, this is pretty much your DNA and way of life.
And now there’s another veichle. One where communication and media travels faster than the attention that it deserves. One where its just as easy to connect spiritually as it is to disconnect socially. One where its a matter of several systems working together properly, not the least of which is the wallet to fund its relevancy.
I speak of mobility – not (just) Internet. And the purpose behind mobile is just as clear as it is within other forms of media and communication – connecting people to what matters most to them most, and sharing that value with others as an purposeful behavior, not a compelled one.
Depending on the perspective of who is reading this, you might also say the same for the Internet. But, I will caution you – its not the same journey. It is, in fact, accented by the gains made on the Internet, but punctuated by the gains made in access. The Internet isn’t everywhere. As a matter of fact, its not even everywhere in places that esposue to be connected more than others – for example, one county over from Silicon Valley boasts some impressively miniscule computer and broadband adoption raters. Mobile, on the other hand, sees nearly 4 billion unique eyes (and several million more machine eyes), and this number is still increasing at a high rate. Another example, in several countries, the number of mobile phone subscriptions is greater than the total population of that country. The Internet isn’t on that scale in any country at this time.
And yet mobile is added to the pie of communication that the Internet is also a part of. A pie that’s not finished baking if you as many who study and analyize the Internet do understand and forward. It’s not that the Internet is half-baked, but it – like media that has gone before it – undergoes continual change – the latest being the social web, or commonly called Web 2.0.
Mobile, or mobile access, can be argued as the most disruptive of these changes. It still in the adoption phase (6.5-7 billion people in the world, 4 billion mobile cellular subscriptions and growing; hunderds to 4 billion in 25 years, etc.). The idea of connectivity on a mobile is in its 3rd generation (3G = voice and data, with the ability to deliever broadband-like services, security, and monetization optimizations, mainstream acceptance, etc.). And the best is yet to come (augmented reality, unified communications, etc.). Mobile is a personal communication’s channel, enterprise/web testing bed, and a largely unexplored nebula of interpersonal and inter-communal interactions.
Mobile is a personal warp engine to reality. It doesn’t just invite you to use computing to connect, it compels you to get out in the real world and connect. Mobile isn’t just simply refactoring the behaviors of broadcast media,* it invites the receiver to be a participant in shaping the message narrow-casting that message to others.
*Broadcast media is normally defined as commercial media sent to a large group of persons, receivable by a hardware commodity which may or may not be subsidized by the media entity, but does follow specific governmatal and commerce regulations in order to disemenate information. Its not voluntary accept in the fact that you have your choice of channel, not message context.
One of the many questions asked about adding a mobile and social component within ministries misses this key point. Mobile isn’t about what you can push to others, its about what you can do to get them to participate within the story you wish for them to subscribe to.
A question posted today on Twitter by the Ideas Project points to this incoming change in the way we understand and use information. It’s not that the learning, or even the information has changed. What mobile (and social Internet) has invited is this idea that there can and should be more participants crafting and dissemenating the story narriative. Mobile invites response by its very nature. And as mobile marketing analysists have investigated, the response time for communication to mobile devices can be 3-10X greater (in numbers) and measured in minutes (in respect to hours, days) to other media.
It’s therefore easy to say “go mobile,” or “let’s develop a mobile strategy that will put us in the minds (hands) of newer generations of communicators.” However, that might be the wrong approach. Its been seen time and time again on the educational side that learning happens best when students are a part of crafting the message. It was one thing when Jesus was the person visiting the sick and delievering hearts from oppression (Luke 4:18-19), it was another thing entirely when the people he taught to do (live) the same put on such clothing (Acts 2:40-47).
I’d argue that mobile invites us (the Body) to embed into others the ability to craft this story of our faith. Not that previous media or methods couldn’t, but because mobile is so close to the storyteller, that is makes sense to develop and enable others to do so.
What say you? Is this a part of what we’ve been endowed to do (Acts 1:8)? If you will, mobile/mobility inviting a literal practicing of the life we will eventually live (Revelation 1:6; 20:6)?
Tags: Communication, community, mobility, technology
Posted in Commentary, Communication, Devices and Software, Social Engagement | 2 Comments »