Mommy Blog Lines: Tal(k)ing Care

http://commonlaw.uottawa.ca/sites/commonlaw.uottawa.ca/files/egirls-logo.gif We had a recent conversation with two scholars whose project is to study girls online-- http://egirlsproject.ca/ Valerie Steeves and Jane Bailey   were very helpful in suggesting ways to rethink how to interest parent bloggers in raising questions about blogging and privacy.  We pointed out that many parents believe their children enjoy being the subjects--or "stars"-- of parent-authored  online tales. They pointed to research that says something different--many children feel awkward or exposed by being online fodder. They suggested we characterize the problem in economic terms and apply the process of commodification to describe the actions of parents who turn their children into mediated characters. They also pointed out that parents worry about children's online practices and safety--and that there needs to be some sharp ways to turn this worry around,  so that parents are willing to th

It's hard not to  think about privacy online as resembling privacy in our day to day lives. If we can make such a connection, then we can also realize that our sense of privacy has changed and developed with cultural winds and trends. Whereas 100 years ago, individuals guarded a lot of information as private, in earlier ages there was more willingness and acceptance of group share. McLuhan says that with the printing press we heightened our sense of individuality --started to live in insulated shell selves. Before that we were part of a tribe, in a village, and we accepted a life of open sharing. If this is true, then "privacy" is in no way a solid concept, but a moving construct, always changing how it is understood and practiced. We currently do not observe the same sense of boundaries as we have in other times. The standards move in time, across place.

A look into Sherry Turkle's Reclaiming Conversation: T he Power of Talk in a Digital Age http://sherryturkle.com/books/reclaiming-conversation-hc

A look into Greg Ferenstein's The Birth And Death Of Privacy: 3,000 Years of History Told Through 46 Images. https://medium.com/the-ferenstein-wire/the-birth-and-death-of-privacy-3-000-years-of-history-in-50-images-614c26059e#.5nlay94t3 Published on The Ferenstein Wire , November 24, 2015.