Privacy

The UK is the first economy to spend more money on advertising online than on TV. According to Sweney  (2009), the UK spent £1.75 billion online in the first six months of the year 2009.  23.5% of marketing budgets is spent on advertising is for the internet, while television adverts are 21.9%. The adverts that appear on our computer screens need data though, to make sure that they advertise the right things to the right people. This is were privacy comes in. Shapiro (2009) says that we are in an advertising age, and that regarding the internet; "our very human needs around trust and security are largely absent from the conversation".(Shapiro 2009) 66% of internet users in the UK are against advertising targeting privacy grounds (Bearne 2009) and, in America, the statistics are basically the same, with 1/3 of users objecting to "tailored advertising"(Turrow et al. 2009). Even with everyone using the internet on a daily basis, people are not comfortable with their data being used to bring them more applicable adverts.

In defense, marketers who supply these advertisments say that it's what supplies free online content. They have a point with this argument because when asked, our lecture group said (all except one) that they wouldn't be willing to pay for access to Facebook. If people want free internet sites, they're might just have to give a little about themselves away. They should be able to obt-out though.

Networks: The Nervous Systems Of Society

Modernity signals the pace and scope of change for life in the future such as the expansion of the social sector of the economy and the increase of managerial, professional and technical occupations in all job sectors. It also sees education held in higher regard, as it becomes more "centralised", along with theoretical knowledge, research and information.

The internet has to be one of the largest networks accessable to practically everyone at the moment. With the capacity of users comes the issue of privacy. There are concerns about the distinction these days between public and private lives when online. More and more companies are tracking what people do on their computers everyday to try and provide a more personalised service, but most people if asked would rather have their privacy, than a search engine that is tailored to us.