I sometimes end up passively watching ‘Moment of Truth’ – passively because it plays in the background while I’m surfing on the web. In the beginning I used to have a healthy disrespect for not just those who indulged in spilling out details of their life (mostly of the skeletal variety found in cupboards) but those whose voyeuristic inclinations made them watch it intensely.
But now, it has also made me wonder about the almost cyclical nature of transparency. Wasn’t there a state when everyone knew everything about everyone else? Or, rather, one protoplasmic entity with a single consciousness? And then it evolved slowly until everyone had secrets. And now we have people willing to reveal their secrets for money. Of course, it doesn’t take us back to the original level, but still…
In a comparable context, sometime back, there was also an interesting discussion on twitter, on privacy issues on the web, and people getting to know passwords. Like i said there, I’d classify these password hunters into basically two types – one for whom your identity is just another information source – banking passwords, credit card details etc, this guy wouldn’t be interested in say, your clandestine relationships; two would be the guy who knows you personally and would like to really like to find something personal about you via your virtual life.
Do we fear the second kind more than the first kind? Because he will break the persona that we have built over the years, in front of others, show them what we are beneath the veneer, and more importantly force us to face ourselves? Isn’t that the reason we are so jittery about privacy. It can’t be just the fear that he might use our accounts for something bad. When I look at it objectively, personal accounts (mail, blogging, social networks etc) are just data- data that we might choose not to share, what we call personal data. But what exactly do we mean by personal? Isn’t it just something, that if told to someone else would shame us to some extent? Isn’t that what we are trying to protect? Or am I missing something? What really is privacy?
I really wonder if these privacy issues will somehow (in the long run) force us to have characters that are more spotless, a sort of utopian existence, when people are so transparent to each other, that there will be no reason or room for secrets? I think it’s possible, you?
until next time, translucent lives
When my first yahoo account got hacked, i was very uncomfortable coz i didnt know what the hacker wanted to do – and that account had lot of personal mail ids, flickr snaps, blogs… but then I saw that my blog remained untouched, and none of my friends reported getting spam mails, I got relived.
but I think it is not only about our personal life – there can be secrets our friends confined to us, things about people which we don’t want to share with any one… things some one told us on the trust that it wont ever see the light…
still, back at villages, almost every one knows everything about any one… it is in the city that we dont even know who lives in the next door.
Sure, the things you say come into play. The bank accounts, CC accounts etc getting hacked into are worrisome for obvious reasons. For the other one though, for me it’s more like, “why should they know? It’s my life! I’ll tell who I want to tell.”
Why should someone read the emails I share with my husband? Why should someone know the family problems that the entire family is discussing over e-mail? They are no major secrets of my life, but why should someone get so nosy about my affairs?
i think everyone has a what i call onion personality – viz, you peel of different layers for different audiences. one wants to keep it that way. once these get mixed up, thats when the discomfort starts
Nice one Manu.
Cynic,liked the term.
-Nikhil
Where to draw the line is the question.
Hmmm.. A very good topic.. You are completely right.. But you put me in a dilemma.. Cool dude:)
interesting !
And yes, if i told someone, it perhaps would have me doing so, shuffling my feet. But then, i perhaps am better off, without sharing and the shuffle of feet !
And i dont think data is just data !! Data is me too !
anoop: great points, esp about the info that others confide in us..
meetu: agree, but i was trying to probe more.. i think that ‘why should others..’ question we ask might be a cover for something else
cynic: think you’re right…
nikhil: thanks 🙂
arunima: as always 🙂
pawan: and each of us have to find our own solutions 🙂
kavi: of course data is you.. or rather, its information to someone.. its why we fear a completely transparent world that i’m after
I agree, what i see as my future i am just 20 tight now that there ll be a time come when people know every thing about every one, or if they don’t know they only a click away on internet to get all information and this thing disturb me a lot that there ll be no privacy.