Videotaping This Crime Spree Was the Best Idea Ever

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Timm, Dianne M., and Carolyn J. Duven. "Privacy and social networking sites." New Directions for Student Services 124 (2008): 89-101. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Apr. 2010.

Timm and Duven’s open their article by defining what a social networking site is as well as defining terms such as privacy and personal information. Having defined the terms that will permeate their discourse they transition to exclusively focus on the issue of privacy, mainly what are reasonable expectations a college student may have about their own privacy. Timm and Duven suggest that when contemplating issues of privacy, there are two important considerations to keep in mind: the intent of the information shared and the expectation that it will remain private. For an example of the latter Timm and Duven explain that even though the student may post photos that are only visible to those who are on their friends list, since the student has made the pictures public to a few he no longer has a reasonable expectation of privacy. In essence, the student who posts the photos on a social networking site for others to view cannot assume it is private because the intent is to share the photos with others. Timm and Duven also assert that, “Student behavior has not changed dramatically over the past twenty to thirty years. Students are still drinking, hanging out with friends, playing pranks, and experimenting with their identities in a variety of ways. What has changed is the way in which administrators are able to view this behavior.” This change has brought a plethora of new challenges to many collages faculty, administrators, and student affairs professionals. Timm and Duven encourage those who work with students to be proactive in using social networking technology to gather information, but to do so, “To ensure that students’ rights are respected, education related to current policies needs to occur to avoid hindering students’ ability to express themselves online.” Timm and Duven also emphasize the importance of disclosure writing, “Students will benefit from knowing that administrators can see what they are doing if professionals are honest about what is viewed and eliminate the feeling of big brother watching.” By not simply neglecting unacceptable behavior the faculty and staff can better maintain an environment conducive to a high quality education.

Timm and Duven’s work is important because it examines the nature of personal information in the context of social networking, specifically because it seeks to clearly define personal information as well as privacy. Their article displays this importance in that it defines a few of the major terms found in the question of whether people should trust social networking sites with their personal information. It is in the clarification of the terms used that the reader can have a greater appreciation of the context of the debate and thereby has a greater understanding of the limitations and appropriate applications of the terms used. In essence, when the reader understands the terms of the debate they are better equipped to think critically about the issue.
Also in gearing the article to specifically inform educators and student activities professionals the piece is an excellent resource to better inform those who may not understand the basics of social networking sites. Timm and Duven’s article is also important to consult because it examines the ethics of monitoring student’s activities as a means of curbing unacceptable behavior. This is an important element of the debate to consider as more and more students are being disciplined for violating rules, for which the only evidence is photos that have been posted online. This element illustrates the articles importance because it allows the reader to more intelligently understand the friction between a students assumed right to anonymity and the reality that they very well may be incriminating themselves when they wouldn’t have been caught otherwise. The fact that online monitoring is presented as a tool is tempered with Timm and Duven’s encouragement to use it ethically, by communicating to students in an upfront manner the fact that the monitoring of social networking sites will happen and that care will be taken to not violate the student’s ability to express themselves unnecessarily. Timm and Duven are able to communicate the balance between the student’s privacy rights and the faculty’s legal obligations by approaching the issue with the goal of protecting both parties without disregarding the impact it may have on the other.