Social Media & Student Privacy

Assignment #2 - Scholarly Essay

Courtney OConnor
#66776063

University of British Columbia

ETEC 511 - 64A
Foundations of Educational Technology

Stephen Petrina

November 29, 2014

Social Media & Student Privacy

Over the past few years, social media has become an essential aspect of a
teenagers daily life. In September 2012, Pew Research reported that 81 per cent of
teenagers have some kind of social media account. In order to enhance education, its
always important to attempt to bridge that gap between the outside world and the
classroom. Using social media is a way to connect learning inside and outside of the
classroom, promote academic interest in things that students enjoy, and to allow them to
keep up with a constantly changing technological world. While there is great potential to
learning when using these tools and virtual spaces, it is also necessary to understand the
issues surrounding online privacy. Each social media and education company provides
privacy policies and fine print when a user signs up for an account. However, it would
take 25 full days to read all privacy policies an average individual encounters in a year
(Madrigal, 2012). To this end, social media applications generate users, not ethics. This
essay will explore the various definitions of social media, a variety of case studies on
social media and privacy, views on what online privacy is and its implications in the
classroom.
Defining social media is not an easy task as there can be many interpretations and
facets depending on the context. As social media continues to evolve, change, expand and
adapt, so does its definition (Cohen, 2011). The definition can change depending on
whether its for personal use, professional business or marketing. In addition, the
definition can change depending on each individuals personal experience or connection
with the tool. For the purpose of this essay, social media will be defined as the creation
and sharing of content (text, pictures, sounds, video) in an online environment (phone,

Social Media & Student Privacy

tablet, computer) that allows people and users to connect, communicate and create
conversations.
There appears to a form of irony that is present with online privacy. While an
individual may say they care about their privacy and are aware of what they can do to
protect themselves, the necessary steps are not being taken or are being contradicted
when personal information is posted and shared. In a case study on Facebook conducted
at the University of Western Ontario, Alyson Young and Anabel Quan-Haase attempted to
study the strategies students have developed in order to protect themselves against
privacy threats. Their studies found that in order to protect their privacy, students often
excluded personal information, used private email messages and altered their privacy
settings (Young & Quan-Haase, 2009). While most students choose not to post their
personal address and cell phone number, there were still alarming results with other
information provided. 97 per cent of students posted their school name and an image of
themselves. 92 per cent of students listed their current city, while 81 per cent posted their
current hometown (Young & Quan-Haase, 2009). Young and Quan-Haase were also able
to determine that students who had larger personal connections or networks on Facebook
were more likely to reveal more information (2009).
In addition to studying student strategies, the study also revealed three key types
of privacy concerns students had in regards to social media. The first concern was that
their information would be used for harmful purposes. Secondly, students were concerned
that their information would be sold or used without their consent. Finally, students were
also concerned that the items they posted could be seen by other users who were not
within their network (Quan-Haase, 2009). In order to protect themselves, a majority of

Social Media & Student Privacy

students employ a limited profile in which they select who can see their information. One
interesting note from their study was that a majority of students do not use false or
inaccurate information on their profile because they did not want to confuse their friends
or connections that did have proper access to their profile (Young & Quan-Haase, 2009).
While using a limited profile and privacy settings can be highly beneficial, it does not
guarantee complete protection and privacy. Additionally, only 60 per cent of teen
Facebook users use private settings (Pew Research, 2012). As a result of the information
provided in this case study, when the issue of protecting a students privacy on the
Internet arises, it is worthwhile to consider what specific information each student,
teacher or parent deems necessary to protect.
Protecting online identities is only valuable if an individual understands what
privacy is and how it can be obtained. Etzioni argues that in order to understand privacy
issues we need to determine if there is a problem. Do students have a problem with
sharing private information on social networking sites? (Barnes, 2006). The Facebook
case study highlights that teenagers and students are concerned about sharing personal
information with strangers. These students are aware of the privacy concerns that could
arise from using social media, yet there is still considerable debate over how effective
these privacy concerns are and how children are being taught about privacy (Davis &
James, 2011). In a study conducted by Katie Davis and Carrie James, 42 middle school
students were interviewed on how they think about and manage online privacy. Their
findings concluded that teenagers valued privacy and attempted to keep their online
profiles private from both strangers and known others. While students pursued various
strategies to maintain their online privacy, Davis and James argued that educators focused

Social Media & Student Privacy

on a narrow set of concerns (2011). Of the 42 participants, 45 per cent mentioned that
creating privacy online was not hard, while another 45 per cent reported that they felt
privacy was hard to create. While this is only one study, it appears that just under half the
students think about online privacy critically. As privacy policies are constantly changing
for social media sites, it is important to teach students that online privacy is never stable.
Full protection requires constant care and attention. Additionally, 90 per cent of the
participants reported that they had discussions with adults about online privacy. From
their discussions, the two main comments were do not post personal information and
do not talk with strangers (Davis & James, 2011). The study also revealed that many
adults employ scare tactics with students and children about privacy. Rather than scaring
students about the dangers of using social media, they should be treated as an equal
participant and taught to think about privacy on their own without fear as the motivating
response.
Despite being aware of the privacy concerns that could occur on social
networking sites, educators still see these tools as a valuable resource within the
classroom. Since 81 per cent of teenagers use some form of social media account and
over half of them use these websites to communicate or browse on a daily basis, it has
become an important aspect of their lives (Pew Research, 2012). However, this aspect of
communication is often not permitted in the classroom. Students lives are centered on
technology that is not used in the classroom and, because of this, there is a divide
between their life after school and what students do in the classroom. Liz Kolb argues
that, in order to enhance education in the classroom, teachers should bridge this gap
between the outside world and the classroom (2008). By using social media inside the

Social Media & Student Privacy

classroom, students are instilled with a sense of responsibility to use social media
appropriately in the classroom, and it is cost effective in terms of supplies.
The use of social media also encourages students to interact with one another in a
different environment and increases engagement in course content (Abe, P. & Jordan, N.
2013). For example, in a study conducted by Rey Junco, Greg Heiberger and Eric Loken,
student learning can be supported by Twitter as a way to promote book discussion, allow
students to ask questions, share class reminders and provide academic support (2008).
While there are many proven examples of successfully using social media in the
classroom and improving student engagement, in order to fully integrate this resource
into the classroom its also important to educate students on how to use the tool critically
and intentionally. This instruction is necessary not only to maximize learning outcomes,
but to promote safe and ethical use.
One of the issues surrounding the use of social media in a classroom is that upon
introduction to the product, students are required to create a profile. While the use of
social media can improve student engagement and provide an outlet for students to feel
less pressure when asking questions or participating in a discussion, there is also a need
to create an identity. Jenny Sunden argues that in order for individuals to exist online,
they must write themselves into being (2003). If a student is to use a social networking
website in their classroom activities it would require them to construct a profile where
personal information would need to be revealed about the user. This explains why
students may reveal too much information about themselves even if they know it can be
potentially harmful. While creating an online community of practice within the classroom

Social Media & Student Privacy

requires students to create personal connections, a balance needs to be maintained in

which a student can create a personal identity in a secure environment.
While other critics argue that there is considerable debate as to whether students
value privacy or not, Danah Boyd disputes this myth and mentions that all students and
teenagers want privacy, whether they mention it or not (2014). Our view on privacy has
historically been individualistic. With the rise of social networking sites and the desire to
increase communication and create large social networks, Boyd argues that privacy has
altered to reflect the location of individuals in a variety of contexts and networks (2014).
Students are now stuck between creating a large network of friends and interacting within
a community, but while limiting their online identity and controlling their individual
information. While students do not share information with strangers, they place
importance on the trust and respect of their network friends (Boyd, 2014). While they
know they cannot control what their friends do with the shared information, they also do
not want to be quiet in a space that is meant to share information. In this article, Boyd
proves the complexity of privacy in an online environment and calls for a new
understanding of privacy. Privacy in social media cannot be left to individuals alone to
maintain, it requires an established understanding through multiple networked users that
share the same context, technical mechanisms and social norms (Boyd, 2014). Boyd
understand that as networking groups change and social media sites continue to grow and
change, the idea of privacy is going to be an ongoing active practice (2014). As educators
it is important to realize the complex dynamic of social media and online networking and
outline exactly what we want to achieve in an online environment and what elements of
privacy teachers, students and parents are willing to sacrifice in order to obtain it.

Social Media & Student Privacy

In face-to-face conversations, private information can be revealed and easily

forgotten by the participants. In an online environment information is stored and kept.
Since everything that is posted online is permanent, anything can be searched, copied and
analyzed. When posting to social media sites, issues also arise as to who owns the
information, audio, pictures or artwork. While a student has the right to display, copy,
use, produce and distribute their creations and thoughts how they see fit, when their
original work is posted to a social networking site they grant the social media site a
license to use their creation anyway they see fit for free. In addition, social media sites
also have the right to let others use their work as well (Law Offices of Craig Delsack,
2012). Even if the student is not posting original work, they are still leaving a digital
footprint of every website they visit, what time of the day they access their account, their
IP address, what was said, who they interact with and plenty of other personal
information (InCtrl, 2013). This information can be then be used for social influence,
marketing, digital reputation, hacking, cyber attacks, e-mails, and ad recommendations
(InCtrl, 2013).
Using social media in the classroom can be a difficult task without the consent of
parents and educating students on how this data can be used. With the rise of learning
analytics in schools and districts, the challenge of how information is stored and used
needs to be transparent. For example, InBloom Inc., a secure non-profit data analytics
organization that was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations, was ultimately
forced to shut down after it failed to address privacy concerns over student data tracking.
The company had clients from school districts in nine different states Colorado,
Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Louisiana and

Social Media & Student Privacy

New York. By the time of its height in March, 2013, the company database held
information on millions of children (Simon, 2013). By collecting data on individual
students, InBloom Inc. would be able to help personalize their learning and identify
factors that have a positive or negative effect on learning. This capability to provide
suggestions and make predications for future success in individual learning made the
company popular. Schools would send the company data that included information about
individual personal details, test scores, special-education enrollment and whether kids
received free lunches. All this information was to be stored on a data cloud run by
Amazon.com. While there were no documented cases of InBloom Inc. misusing the data
collected, InBloom Inc. planned to share the sensitive information with other software
companies and other for-profit vendors (Class Size Mattters, 2014). The potential to sell
and share information and the companys failure to convince people that it adequately
protected the data began to spark too many concerns over privacy from parents and
educators (Kharif, 2014). While the collapse of this company is a step back in using data
to drive personalized instruction, it has highlighted that protecting online privacy is an
unknown concept to people, but it is highly valued by the public (Kharif, 2014). Future
data and social media companies will have to revise their privacy policies and ensure that
the protection of their information is transparent and convincing enough for students,
parents and educators.
While the benefits of using this tool in the classroom can outweigh the
consequences, there are multiple issues surrounding ethics when privacy and online
protection are overlooked and neglected by educators and students. As social-networking
sites continue to expand and gain popularity in the classroom, there is the potential to not

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10

only enhance education by increasing engage in course content, but by educating and
creating responsible students who value their privacy and the privacy of their online
community. The positive reception of students and the variety of available social
networking sites creates an easily accessible tool to integrate into the classroom.
However, it is important to consider the issue of ethics and privacy. As educators it is our
job to promote academic interest and a sense of responsibility. By looking at the case
studies of Facebook and InBloom Inc., we can see there is a disconnect between the
ethics of online privacy and the desire to enhance learning while maintaining a social
image. Many students, educators and parents intend to keep their online identity protected
but often they dont succeed. Rather than volunteering students to be users of social
media, we should value the ethics that surrounds their critical thinking, contribution,
responsibility, and privacy. The context of social media and privacy is constantly
changing, yet the teaching of privacy is often narrow and too focused. In order to
continue to encourage the expansion of social media into the classroom and the practice
of engaging in a social online community, students will need to be taught how to fully
understand the context in which they are engaging in. This understanding will allow them
to protect the privacy of themselves but also for users they are interacting with.

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11

References
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7_ftp.pdf?v=1&t=i2y29qv1&s=6f52424fe36e24e1bd2d25e5dbd46197e851f214
Barnes, S. (2006). A privacy paradox: Social networking in the United States. Retrieved
from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1394/1312#b4
Boyd, D. (2014). Networked privacy: How teenagers negotiate context in social media.
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Cohen, H. (2011). Social media definitions. Retrieved from http://heidicohen.com/socialmedia-definition/
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InCtrl. (2013). Your digital footprint lesson plan. Retrieved from
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Kharif, O. (2014). Privacy fears over student data tracking lead to InBlooms shutdown.
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Kolb, L. (2008). Toys to tools. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in
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Law Offices of Craig Delsack. (2012). Who owns photos and videos posted on Facebook,
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Madrigal, A. (2012). Reading the privacy policies you encounter in a year would take 76
word days. Retrieved from
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Sunden, J. 2003. Material virtualities: approaching online textual embodiment. Peter

Lang, New York.
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