As you know, there are times when we need to reexamine our words and their suitability to communicate what we really mean. Some believe the term fast food is no longer appropriate, as well as other favorites like Hot Chili and Jumbo Shrimp. It seems that now the idea of personal information needs to join those ranks of oxymorons. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t see another company that has suffered some data breach and learn that a great number of people have had their information stolen. Not only are there several sites for the latest on data breaches, there is even a Cybercrime magazine. Where do we draw the line between what is personal and what isn’t? We share so much of our lives in electronic communities, from selfies to sex tapes, how do we say, this is personal and this isn’t. Are we being fickle in saying you can see my lunch but not my medical records? Our address, email address, and phone number can be discovered but our social security numbers are sacrosanct. On the other hand we gladly give over all our “digital exhaust” to media companies who are making billions off our information yet draw a fuzzy line between public and private. I could livestream my plastic surgery but call my medical records private. Hollywood stars can go sunbathing naked on the beach, but paparazzi can take, but not share the pictures. If we have learned nothing else, we should have learned that when profit is concerned, if we give an inch- we find a mile taken.
The Mc Luhan Galaxy 