Until 3: Identity and Privacy

This week’s discussion gives you a bit of a self-reflection challenge. Before you begin working on your original post, please reflect on your own use of CTs. Choose twoCTs you use to interact with other people. It might be the case that you use a LOT of CTs and need to narrow your reflection down to two. Perhaps you do not use much technology and need help brainstorming. Here are some ideas of CTs you might regularly use: NEIU email, D2L, personal email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, text messaging, Facebook Messenger, direct messaging, WhatsApp, telephone, sending letters through the post, online dating websites, online dating apps, online gaming communities, video game console communities, discussion forums, online support groups, etc. In your original post, please let your group know which two CTs you will be reflecting on throughout the post.

Second, please discuss where each of these CTs fall on the continuum from fixed to flexible networks. What makes each of the two CTs more of a fixed or more of a flexible network? What characteristics (or affordances) of the technology contribute to your placement as flexible or fixed? What about your personal use of the technology makes it more flexible or fixed? For example, maybe you use your middle name on your Facebook profile instead of your full first and last name, making the technology slightly more flexible.

Third, describe the existence of context collapse in at least one of the CTs. Provide a specific example of either context collision or context collusion that happened within one of the CTs. Explain why this is an example of context collision or collusion.

Finally, especially if context collapse has occurred, how do you maintain your privacy within these CTs? Which of McEwan’s (2015) privacy management strategies have you used? Please give at least one specific example of a privacy management technique you have used from pages 54-57 of the textbook.