ResourceBlog Article: New From Pew Internet: Experts: Millennials See Advantages of Personal Disclosure Trumping Concerns About Personal Privacy

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Friday, 9th July 2010

New From Pew Internet: Experts: Millennials See Advantages of Personal Disclosure Trumping Concerns About Personal Privacy

By: Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie

No summer relax time at the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This is the third major report that they've released in the past week.

From the Homepage:

Tech experts generally believe that today’s tech-savvy young people – the ‘digital natives’ who are known for enthusiastically embracing social networking – will retain their willingness to share personal information online even as they get older and take on more responsibilities. Experts surveyed say that the advantages Millennials see in personal disclosure will outweigh their concerns about their privacy.

Access Full Text (HTML, Searchable) ||| (28 Pages; PDF) ||| Review Survey Questions

From the Overview (895 Opt-in Technology Experts and Stakeholders):

In a survey about the future impact of the internet, a solid majority of technology experts and stakeholders said the Millennial generation will lead society into a new world of personal disclosure and information?sharing using new media. These experts said the communications patterns “digital natives” have already embraced through their use of social networking technology and other social technology tools will carry forward even as Millennials age, form families, and move up the economic ladder.

...They [those surveyed] said Millennials have already seen the benefits and will not reduce their use of these social tools over the
next decade as they take on more responsibilities while growing older.

The majority argued in answers to the survey that new social norms that reward disclosure are already in place among the young The experts also expressed hope that society will be more forgiving of those whose youthful mistakes are on display in social media such as Facebook picture albums or YouTube videos.

Some said new definitions of “private” and “public” information are taking shape in networked society...

At the same time, some experts said an awkward trial?and?error period is unfolding and will continue over the next decade, as people adjust to new realities about how social networks perform and as new boundaries are set about the personal information that is
appropriate to share.

Nearly 30 percent of respondents disagreed with the majority [67% majority vs 29% minority] , most of them noting that life stages and milestones do matter and do prompt changes in behavior. They cited an array of factors that they believe will compel Millennials to pull back on their freewheeling lifecasting, including: fears that openness about their personal lives might damage their professional lives, greater seriousness in dating and family formation as people age, and the arrival of children in their lives.

Among other things, many of the dissenting experts also said Millennials will not have as much time in the future to devote to popular activities such as frequently posting to the world at large on YouTube, Twitter or Facebook about the nitty?gritty of their lives.

Note: We would be very interested to learn if Millennials in other countries have the same views about disclosure vs. privacy.

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

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