Exposure

In light of the increasing concern of individuals and corporates about privacy, exposure and vulnerability I thought I'd write a little post.

Facebook-face

The internet world got significantly rocked when facebook launched its 'timeline' layout because it seemed to leave more of our histories exposed to a wider range of people. Employers, especially but not exclusively in the digital world, have made it quite clear that they are using facebook to get a background history on applicants and the number of people caught out moaning about jobs, then facing the sack grows everyday.

Whilst posting about our teenage crushes at the time seemed cool, now it just seems embarrassing.

This poses some interesting questions about social media and exposure. We willingly post photographs, declarations and videos on the internet, we use it as a place to share lives with friends and family who might not be close enough to experience them first-hand. We willingly expose ourselves to those we trust. But what about the other people viewing the content, the public, the perverse, the political or just the unknown? When it is posted on the internet it is exposed in a way that may be impossible to reverse. Does that cause us to re-evaluate what goes online and why? Does it affect our ability to be vulnerable with those we love? And knowing your private internet world is, in fact, quite public might cause us to look on our pasts and what we choose to keep from them in a different light.

Undocumented Dancing

Last weekend I went clubbing. It was really fun. It was in Shoreditch and was a good night out. They do great cocktails. OK you want to know where it was, The Book Club. I went out with colleagues from work and it was good fun. About 11.30 we were dancing to some reggae (I know I'm thinking of this video too) and I suddenly noticed no-one in our group had a camera and you know, I was relieved. Its not that I was behaving badly but there was something liberating in knowing that all my silly dance-moves wouldn't be coming back to haunt me I was free to be vulnerable because I would not be exposed.

Amongst a generation of instant-documenters it was refreshing to think the only store of the evening was my own memory. And its a good memory.

Inside my living room

These photos are of a house on my commute to work. It is being demolished due to subsidence.

 It grabbed my attention immediately.

Don't you find it interesting how we can look directly into someone's living room. The initial shots reminded me of Blitz photos I've seen, a whole house sort of ripped in half.

We can see into all the rooms as if it were a doll's house, there is no privacy.
All is exposed.
This is particularly poignant from a social anthropology perspective, given as the Englishman's home is his castle, and the gate his drawbridge (good old Foxy!).

What makes you feel exposed? How much vulnerability is too much vulnerability? And what does knowledge have to do with exposure?