Social+Networking+Sites+and+Kid's+Privacy

Research Question
The boundary of public and privacy has even blurred as the rise of social networking sites and become a main communication tool among children. Social networking sites allow children to self-express and have a sense of ownership and identity (Livingstone, 2008). While children enjoy the fun and excitement of self-display, the concerns of privacy has been discussed (Barnes, 2006; Sullivan, 2005). In the age of digital media, do we really have privacy? Growned up with panoptic technology (Gandy, 1993) and sorrounded by all sorts of surveillance systems, will the new generation have different opinion in terms of privacy? If there is any difference, why?

I Wonder
Why do children use social networking sites? Do they know what is privacy? Where and how do they learn about privacy? How would children think of social networking in terms of privacy? How do they see social networking, public or private? What kind of informaion and message do they put on their social networking account? Who are their potential audiences? What kind of information are they willing to disclose to anyone? What are not? If their parents or teachers are watching their online actiity, will that change their willingness to share the information? How do they manage their privacy setting (if there is any)? Have they ever used any strategies to protect their identity? Is protecting real identity online important to them? Why? Will revealing information is, instead of dangerous, beneficial in some ways? Will the children see privacy different from us? What would that affect parents, industy, and government?

My Work Plan
I will review several literature to explore this specific topic. Scholars include Eirving Goffman, Donna boyd, Sonia Livingstone, Susan B.Barnes and other prominent scholarships would provide an insight of social networking and privacy issues. Kathryn C. Montgomery, The Pew Internet Project and other sources could give me a well-rounded trends in children and digital media, both regulatory and political. Then I will conduct a small scale of interviews with children, who are now social networking users to find out their media usage and their opinion toward privacy and impression management. A discussion of the interview will be made. Also a tentative conclusion will be drawn.

Expectation
In addition to the knowledge of social networking sites and privacy issues, I would like see children's response to my research questions and their point of view. With open-ended questions, I would expect to see diverse answers and current trends concern children nowaday. I would expect that children would have opionions which are contradictory to parents and scholars'. Also the fluid definition of public/private will once again be challenged.

Barnes, S.B. (2006). A Privacy Parodox: Social Networking in United States. //First Monday//, 11. Retrieved October 7, 2011 from []
 * Reference**

boyd, D. (2007). Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life. In D. Buckingham (Ed.), //Youth, Identity and Digital Media.// The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Gandy, O.H. (1993). //The panoptic sort : a political economy of personal information//. Boulder, Colo.: Westview.

Goffman, E. (1972). //Relations in Public: Microstudies of the Public Order//. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Goffman, E. (1973). //The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life//. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press.

Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking Risky Opportunities in Youthful Content Creation: Teenagers' Use of Social Networking Sites for Intimacy, Privacy and Self-expression. //New Media and Society//, 10(3): 393-411.

Montgomery, K. C. (2007). //Genration Digital: Politics, Commerce, and Childhood in the Age of the Internet.// Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Sullivan, J.L. (2005). Modeling the audience marketplace. A review of //Audience economics: Media institutions and the audience marketplace// by Philip M. Napoli. //International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics//, 1(1), 152-156.

GREENLIGHTED. Important topic with interesting implications for policy, parenting, and education. This topic may need to get some focus in order to develop the depth needed for a conference paper. You might enjoy reviewing how Common Sense Media is teaching about privacy -- I wonder your opinion about the quality of the curriculum materials offered. Also, check out the "Our Space" curriculum on the topic of privacy. And of course it will be important to get a solid grounding on the legal dimensions and ethical considerations of privacy by exploring the work of Daniel J. Solove. His book, Understanding Privacy, is excellent!