A (my) space of one ‘s own: On privacy and online social networks

Participants in online social networking sites (OSNs) such as MySpace and Facebook (among hundreds of others) revel in the freedom and communion facilitated by the burgeoning social Internet. They often express offense or a feeling of intrusion
when their online personae are discovered by meddling parents, employers, or other unintended audiences. Meanwhile offline, the uninitiated and sometimes older generation, fueled by the dizzying media chatter regarding sexual predation, pornography, and cyber-bullying on OSNs, scoff at their protectorate’s foolhardy disclosure of personal stories, images, and information online, concluding that these will inevitably invite social and professional disgrace. They accuse OSN participants of being ignorant of the technology’s risks, not caring about privacy, or having poor judgment.