When was the last time you googled your own name? Ever worried that a potential employer may glance at your facebook or myspace? With all of the recent technological advancements and the growing presence of social networks, the line between what is public and private information has become increasingly blurred. This was the topic of discussion at the Sxsw panel “Is Privacy Dead, Or Just Confused?” Judith Donath (MIT Media Laboratory) spoke about how with every technology we choose to utilize, there is a tradeoff.

When we use google, facebook or myspace, we are agreeing to their terms of service, however, is one of those terms losing some control of your public persona? Siva Vaidhyanathan, a Professor at the University of Virginia, used the example of Michael Phelps to show that often times institutions may disapprove of us as far as employability based on the information that exists about us online. Vaidhyanathan argued that Michael Phelps didn’t deserve to take an economic hit because his private pictures were made public. Donath also made the point that if someone was to aggregate all of the information about you that is made available online, it would be a fabulous self portrait made up of records of your searches, transaction histories, status updates, etc. Alice Marwick, a PhD Candidate at New York University made that point that the blurring of this line may exists because technologies have advanced faster than our social norms. These technologies have not existed long enough for it to be commonly understood what is and is not acceptable in our online interactions. All four panelists did agree on the fact that people need to be more aware of the information they leave behind therefore allowing them to make more informed decisions on the activities they conduct online.