Safe is as safe does

There is a lot of talk at the moment about how safe personal spaces are, and about how secure our personal data is on social networking sites. Over on our online e-learning community Digifolios and Personal Spaces we are busy debating some of these questions. As I ponder these issues, I'm mindful of the movie Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks as a cognivitely challenged individual who works hard to make his way through life. When people call him 'stupid' he simply deflects them with a quote from his mother: 'stupid is as stupid does'. The meaning behind this is clear - no-one is inherently stupid - it is ultimately their behaviour that makes them so.

By the same token, I believe that no online environment is inherently 'unsafe' - Richard Clark famously argued that all media are neutral until content is placed within them. I believe this to be true. A personal online space is only unsafe for me if I behave in an unsafe manner. Giving away personal details such as your mobile phone number in an environment which is open for viewing, can definitely be considered unsafe, unless of course you are actively seeking strangers to contact you. Same goes for posting your image up on Facebook or Flickr. Some photos may capture someone in an embarrassing situation or 'compromising position' (read 'drunk and behaving badly'), but it all depends on whether that individual is intending on applying for a high profile job, or has a clean reputation to uphold, if this is actually perceived to be unsafe.

My reasoning is this - every individual has (or should have) control over the content they post to represent themselves digitally. What you choose to divulge on an open, public social networking site must ultimately be down to you. If you don't have control, something is wrong, (e.g. someone may have wrested control over some of your personal details or content, or may have posted a photo of you up onto the web without your knowledge or consent) - if that is the case, then litigation is an available option. If we each maintain control over our own content and profiles and are careful with what we divulge, the onus is then on each of us to represent him/herself appropriately.

What are your views on the safety of personal online sites? Comments are also being posted here.