Say you have a house and the house has lovely big windows and you keep the curtains/blinds parted and I can see in from the street. If you catch me looking in should I automatically be suspect for checking out your digs? Maybe. Probably. But trust me, if I keep looking it's because I'm fascinated. I'd think that was a compliment, but that's probably just me.
After receiving several anonymous gifts at my office and having been stalked (albeit mildly) in the past, I tend to have a different view of people being fascinated with anything having to do with me. I haven't had the time to sit down and Friends-lock every one of my posts, as I've been intending, but I'm certainly going to make the effort shortly. As with many things, it depends on experience and perspective.
Ah. And I forgot to add "and having my email and livejournal broken into and read/hijacked repeatedly" to the above. All of these things have tended to color my experience with those who take too strong an interest in my life.
certainly your position is valid and I'm not asking that you or anyone else forgo employing spy tools or friends-locking anything or everything.
I am, however, thinking out loud about a subject that fascinates me on a level specific to certain goings-on. The subject, on a more abstract level(ish), has to do with looking at people like study subjects and realizing they're looking back. the process of the experiment effects the outcome of the experiment and thus there is no perfect data.
*shrug* the idea is that whatever is left open to view can end up affected...played to a perceived audience. I want to know what people have to tell the whole world, not just what you don't mind *me* (fill in the blank with whoever isn't linked/friended to your journal) finding out. Merely my druthers, and no more.
You know I lock everything worthwhile to me and just to be persnickety, I can't be bothered to come up with a reason why.
The subject, on a more abstract level(ish), has to do with looking at people like study subjects and realizing they're looking back. the process of the experiment effects the outcome of the experiment and thus there is no perfect data.
I actually disagree to some extent with this. When the people one is studying are not aware that they are being studied, the process of the experiment has no way of affecting them (as there is not question of their consciousness of being observed is affecting their behaviors that are being observed).
*shrug* To me, the spying means very little. What does it tell you really? I suppose first and foremost it's who's reading your posts -- that's really not a huge issue for me. I think it's interesting to see who bumps across your thoughts on the internet, but ultimately what's it matter who's reading your posts and when
( ... )
Value judgements aside - I do wonder how the process works. If the data the person monitoring receives is per click from a friends' page to a given entry, or to the whole journal or to the userinfo or...?
I'm not sure why it creeps me out, really. Maybe I just have it coming - just deserts for lurking about the periphery of someone's "home."
anyway I'm likewise fascinated by how people in and treat new data.. Like I said above I'd like to observe this from a removed point of view; very few people care if I go by their public entries, but the thought that my known presence might change what I can see... kind of fills me with chagrin.
The data's readily available. Basically, every time an entry is pulled up in a friends page or individually, it clicks a counter and is listed as doing so. Userinfo clicks can also be tracked if one so desires. It's also very simple to avoid.
As for how the data is used, I guess that depends on the individual. I'm not sure how it would change my writing, for example. I don't think it does -- after all, I was already writing under the assumption that public posts were seen by everyone and that, with 231 friends, my friends-locked filter was also pretty much public domain.
But then, I'm never running for public office and I'm generally not very secretive with 95% of my life, so it doesn't bother me at all.
Comments 15
After receiving several anonymous gifts at my office and having been stalked (albeit mildly) in the past, I tend to have a different view of people being fascinated with anything having to do with me. I haven't had the time to sit down and Friends-lock every one of my posts, as I've been intending, but I'm certainly going to make the effort shortly. As with many things, it depends on experience and perspective.
Reply
Reply
certainly your position is valid and I'm not asking that you or anyone else forgo employing spy tools or friends-locking anything or everything.
I am, however, thinking out loud about a subject that fascinates me on a level specific to certain goings-on. The subject, on a more abstract level(ish), has to do with looking at people like study subjects and realizing they're looking back. the process of the experiment effects the outcome of the experiment and thus there is no perfect data.
*shrug* the idea is that whatever is left open to view can end up affected...played to a perceived audience. I want to know what people have to tell the whole world, not just what you don't mind *me* (fill in the blank with whoever isn't linked/friended to your journal) finding out. Merely my druthers, and no more.
You know I lock everything worthwhile to me and just to be persnickety, I can't be bothered to come up with a reason why.
Reply
I actually disagree to some extent with this. When the people one is studying are not aware that they are being studied, the process of the experiment has no way of affecting them (as there is not question of their consciousness of being observed is affecting their behaviors that are being observed).
Reply
But I am balancing candid observation against against the impossiblity of being soundless, invisible and otherwise, truly nobody.
Reply
Reply
I'm not sure why it creeps me out, really. Maybe I just have it coming - just deserts for lurking about the periphery of someone's "home."
anyway I'm likewise fascinated by how people in and treat new data.. Like I said above I'd like to observe this from a removed point of view; very few people care if I go by their public entries, but the thought that my known presence might change what I can see... kind of fills me with chagrin.
Reply
As for how the data is used, I guess that depends on the individual. I'm not sure how it would change my writing, for example. I don't think it does -- after all, I was already writing under the assumption that public posts were seen by everyone and that, with 231 friends, my friends-locked filter was also pretty much public domain.
But then, I'm never running for public office and I'm generally not very secretive with 95% of my life, so it doesn't bother me at all.
Reply
I want to know the displacement my existence causes without causing further... effect.
I want to know what the back of my head looks like with my own eyes. }:>
Reply
Leave a comment