Skip to main content

Let "Why" Drive "If" and "How" in 2021



Before you read another word of this blog, know that I'm guilty.  I do it too.  I sometimes post things on social media or via text that I later regret.  I let my emotions get the best of me and I take the bait to respond to someone's ill-informed or rude posting, only to find that my temper flares and my words get the best of me.  Even more than politics, I think the general inability of much of the population to effectively discern between "your" and "you're" is probably my biggest hot button.  I'm in favor of a constitutional amendment requiring basic grammar literacy training prior to online political debate, but I digress.....

There is a permanence to just about anything we decide to post online.  Facebook's delete account option, for example, really is a temporary deactivation feature; you can still reactivate your page for 30 days.  More problematic is that posts that you assumed had been deleted may still show up on search engines.  For that matter, the concept of time travel actually  exists through the Wayback Machine.

This service has been archiving snapshots of webpages since the mid-90s; with some careful searching, you can find Ford Motor Company's "new" vehicle lineup of 1997, pre-game analysis of the 2002 SuperBowl, or even some gig pics of yours truly before I cut off my amazing mane: 

Despite the criticism of companies like Facebook and Twitter in allowing advertisers' use of personal information, these companies have actually learned a thing or two about data security.  Many users, however, don't understand the difference between privacy and security.  Privacy=what you choose to share with whom, while security=what measures are taken to keep others from accessing this information.

Privacy terms, which include he ways in which your personal information can be used, are spelled out in "terms of service" (i.e. the 10 pages of legal verbiage that nobody reads before clicking "accept").  Technically, these firms aren't usually violating their commitments to users when they allow third parties to track our browsing habits or market products and services to us...because we gave them permission in writing by signing up.  A key point that many people miss is that this practice is not a violation of privacy if they have given permission to a social media network to do so!

The password recovery and user support (including multi-factor authentication) from these established players generally DO allow them to ensure users that other individuals are not accessing their information.  Most major web services that have been around for a few years are also pretty good at notifying people when they have been "hacked" and in providing safeguards to recover account access.  From this standpoint, companies like Facebook and Google have pretty good data security.

Some newer services have been less successful in protecting users from external data security threats.  One of the most famous instances occurred several years ago when affair-facilitation service Ashley Madison (tagline: Life is Short; Have an Affair) was compromised by hackers.  These folks began outing users....leading to string of suicides (https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34044506).  Regardless of the moral implications of their personal connection approach, Ashley Madison was selling one thing above all others: Data security...and they failed. 

Based on perceptions of content censorship, a number of users have migrated to the Parler social media platform.  With promises of less moderation and online conduct standards, the service appealed to many who found Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms to be biased against some political voices.  Parler's lack of experience in data security, however, returned to haunt a number of users who participated in the January 6 capital riots.  A data breach enabled hackers to "scrape" deleted content, which may ultimately lead to arrest and prosecution of users who posted their participation online; some data points even included GPS coordinates during the event (https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/11/scraped-parler-data-is-a-metadata-goldmine/).  As of the time of writing, many people are facing legal action, firings, and personal social blowback based Parler's inability to maintain data security.

My point in this post is not to condone or criticize anyone's political opinion, right to free speech, or use of social media. Instead, my intent is to provide a practical framework for productive online information sharing. I call it the "WIH" approach for short! 

Let me encourage you to ask three questions before sharing content online.

1. Why?  What is your motive for a social media post (or an e-mail or text message for that matter)?  Is your intent actually to solicit feedback and start constructive conversation?  Are you feeling the need to get something off your chest?  Are you looking for a fight (and let's be honest...we've all been that guy or girl)? 

2. If?  Should you post this content or respond to someone else?  If you DO post or respond, what will be the likely outcome?  Most of us know exactly how our friends are likely to react to specific topics and opinions.  Is the potential reaction to what you are likely to receive worth it?  Are you ready to deal with the fallout of an ugly online argument? 

3. How?  If you're really looking for spirited and open-minded conversation, are you likely to find it on social media in a public forum?  I know that over the past year, I've made it my mission to try to understand people who feel differently than I do about politics, public policy, and science; I've had far better luck with one-on-one conversations than threaded discussions.  In addition, consider how easily even a text message or online chat could be copy and pasted; if the topic is sensitive enough, perhaps a good old-fashioned phone call might be a better medium. 

Knowing that basically nothing we post online ever truly "goes away," consider your strategy for communicating before you air your grievances on the internet.  Think about the purpose of your statement....and you may spend less time in 2021 cleaning up your online presence.  

In the project management world, we refer to the triple constraints of resources, scope, and time.  Our personal capital and energy are finite resources, and making strategic use of them, as well as our limited time, has never been more important.  The more content you place online, the larger the scope of your personal footprint becomes and the bigger endeavor you have to manage.  

Hopefully, a "why, if, how" approach will help guide good choices for your online presences in 2021!  Rest assured, I will likely fail more than once in this effort....I'll count on you to call me out when I don't follow my own advice!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Different Kind of Christmas Story

Everyone is familiar with the themes behind 1983’s “A Christmas Story.” Ralphie desperately longs for the toy of the year, in this case, a bb gun. Mom and dad are hesitant. Their concern for his safety and the hanging threat of “you’ll shoot your eye out” mask the bigger looming fear, namely the beginning of their son’s transition to adulthood. Eventually, the parents relent, providing one of the keys which help Ralphie open the door to making his own decisions (good and bad), experiencing both joy and success and heartbreak and pain, and coming into his fully-formed self.                (Photo credit Hollywood Reporter) The movie’s turning point, where Ralphie receives “ol Blue” as surprise final gift, actually played out in my own life. It was 1987; my friends and I had all hatched an idea in study hall to form a band. Scott played drums. Bob was practicing the hell out of an old acoustic guitar and Dan already had an electric to play lead. Jason could sing AND play keyboards.  All w
7 comments
Read more

Keep saying “hi”; a case for saving human interaction across generations

  A few weeks back, my brother and I were shopping at an area Target. When I came out of an aisle, I almost collided with a trio of college-age people. “Woah, I’m sorry,” I said, realizing I should have looked before moving into the foot traffic. None of the young folks responded to me. I said “I’m sorry about that” as they continued to walk past, not one of them acknowledging the attempt at normal social interaction. I couldn’t decide if I was more irritated or offended. Like the rest of you, I’ve experienced similar interactions at stores, restaurants, and while walking my dog Willis at the local college campus. Attempts at polite social norms (i.e., saying “excuse me,” when walking past someone, thanking someone for holding a door, etc.) are often met with eye contact and no vocal response. While such instances are usually people far younger than me, I’ve noticed more of this behavior in older folks as well. I think this approach to communication (namely choosing NOT to vocall
Post a Comment
Read more

Fleeting Light: Thoughts about "50" on the shortest day of the year

  I’ve been told that it’s common during one’s fiftieth year to do a recounting of the life you’ve lived so far. While the big 5-0 is past the halfway point for most of us, it’s a place to check momentum. How has the trip gone? Which turns have been the right ones (or wrong ones)? Is there enough gas in the tank to make it the rest of the way to the “final destination”…and in a way of our choosing? Momentum, at this point, seems to take the place of fuel. If anything, the challenge is to gear down to keep the car from flying down the hill. While not everything our elders told us is gospel, the old folks who say that life starts moving faster at the half-century mark have it right in my book.  Despite the pressures of time, much of this year has been a chance to stand on top of the hill (the one I’ve been told I’m on my way over) and look around. It’s been less about innovation and change than inventory; directly, what’s been done and what’s left to do? 50 is a rare sweet spot in life;
Post a Comment
Read more