The Modern Paradigm of Privacy

Throughout class discussions and looking at art, we have discussed some key traits of the paradigms we have been studying. In the Medieval period we see a lot of anagogic space, gothic architecture, and enclosed confusing spaces. The Renaissance is marked by perspective, emphasis on individuality, and scientific pursuits. A question I have wrestled with this week is: What defines our paradigm and what does this say about the world we live in?

I would say our modern world is defined by an ever-increasing globalization facilitated by the internet and social media. For example, Stephen Hawking just died. He was in England, but we found out about it as soon as we woke up even though we are in Italy. In the past, this news could only get to us as fast as a horse or steam ship or telegram, etc... could transfer it.

In the Renaissance, along with individuality, the concept of privacy began to emerge. We are still very comfortable in the Renaissance paradigm, but I think that our ideas about privacy are changing. With global social media, it can seem like nothing is private. Everything can be made public if someone so desires. I think we also tend to forget that social media accounts are heavily curated, so while it seems as if we are getting a special look into someone’s private life, it is a specially developed viewpoint specifically for the public. Social media blurs the line between public and private with the ability to block people and screenshot pictures and send them. What is public for one person might be private to another, but those rules can be bent by others beside the account’s administrator who initially set them.

With email and texting, the line between public and private can also blur. In my “private” life I have been exploring Italy with friends and I might send a picture or two to my parents. Suddenly, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and neighbors all know I was at the Duomo in Florence without me even telling them I was going to Italy.

A famous saying goes “life imitates art”. One art form we have focused on is music, through our class discussions and our attendance at the Vivaldi Concert. Like a composer writes music, we write the melodies of our lives. Deborah Howard writes “Once the music was printed, the composer lost control over the relationship between the character of the composition and its performance acoustics (196).” Once we write about our lives to others, we lose control of how that information will spread and what will be done with it.

A great example of this is my blog. I was talking to my mother and she mentioned she was going to send my blog link to a friend so they could keep up with my trip. What friend? Who is else is reading my blog? Do all the ladies at book club know about my Spring Break adventure? The answer is that they probably do, as do their husbands, kids, and hairdressers’ kids. I live in a pretty small town. The point is, once something is publicized, we lose nearly complete control over how it is conveyed and our intents may be lost in transportation.

With the internet and social media, the way we think about privacy in our modern paradigm is changing. It will be interesting to reflect on the change between what is private and what is public as technology advances.

--Ally

Sources

Howard, Deborah, and Laura Moretti. Sound and Space in Renaissance Venice Architecture, Music, Acoustics. Yale University Press, 2009, Pp. 195-203.