Our conversation on “privacy versus openness” took place on 6th July 2011 at MyHotel Chelsea. Completely coincidentally, it was the same day the News of the World scandal broke (or was continuing to break…)
We explored a lot of different dimensions of the issue, and there was an overwhelming feeling in the group that the boundaries between open-ness and privacy are increasingly blurred. What do we have a right to know? What do we want to know? Who arbitrates that? What’s appropriate?
We asked what it really means to be “open” – is it about sitting on the bus and over-hearing personal conversations that others are having on their mobile phones? Is it about social media? We agreed that it doesn’t necessarily mean opening up all your private / personal information.
A concern was expressed around the proliferation of information and “noise” which sometimes overwhelms without being insightful or adding value. We concluded that open-ness has to mean more than that and the ideal definition of open-ness would be open hearts (not open mouths).
We talked about the difference between the internet and the media. The internet is a source of information for many things – it is a place you can go which, albeit unedited, provides a wide range of resources. E.g. you can find out information about products or experiences you are interested in from others who have experienced them… and in this case, you are doing the editing. While with the media, someone else is doing the editing – those editors choose the stories and the angles, they also drive the news cycles.
On the internet, we have learned to read for authenticity.
Some expressed the frustration around personal data being tracked by, for example, loyalty programs, and among those with this view, there was a level of resentment to commercial interest who “work” the data for selling opportunities.
Others observed the differences that social media and the internet have created in our lives – managing one’s identity requires different kinds of tools and techniques than previously. Do you “vanity google” yourself to check on how you appear online and what shows up about you? Do you manage that identity properly? What if you don’t? Will you be the victim of incoherence? Does pro-actively managing your identity help to ensure an integrity of voice? Or is it impossible in the new technology world?
In the end, we concluded that privacy and open-nes are opposing muscles which each need to be exercised. We are experiencing a new chapter in social literacy and we all need to learn it together.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Parenting
We asked the question
How can we all contribute to a society that improves the chances of our young people?
First one said ‘education’ and others joined in to say the media has to present more realistic images of young people and show more opportunities that are attainable rather than just celebrities and pop stars. There are issues with the filters that normal society puts in for children with young children listening to pop music that is explicit and inappropriate – how does a parent protect them? They have the worries of an adult at young ages. This was a recurring theme of young people having too much information and knowledge at an age where they are not mature enough to make sense of it. One young child asked about rape?
How do we help them self-filter? So they have enough awareness to work out who they are and what is acceptable for them and unacceptable for them. This lead to a long discussion on conformity. One person noted that in the sixties although there was free love and drugs there was not so much pressure to conform. Young people let you be who you wanted to be. Others discussed this and that today young people are under pressure to dress right to have the Ugg boots and not fakes as people will look down on them. In previous generations people respected differences more. One key question was asked…who is responsible, where is the pressure coming from? How are we not all responsible for this pressure. The idea of belonging was a long thread of conversation – the idea of international and globalised childhoods and the potential impact on identity. Many guests were multi-cultural and multi-lingual and they were concerned about the impact on their children. Another discussed identity and its impact on our lives. We discussed the joint responsibility of schools and parents and the way we help our children develop a conscience and how do we make that happen or is it innate? The role of teachers and their impact on our children’s lives was touched upon. The difficulties for schools now with restrictions placed on them is reducing their care for young people. The idea of belonging came up again and again with one saying they had moved every three years as a child and so had no need to belong – they were used to establishing groups and could accept change easily. The link with independence compared to a need to belong was established. The idea of being different not better was opened up – where one person growing up in the Lebanon was brought up to see herself as better than others not equal but better. Was this something that now our children were missing out on – the idea that they were better or is this a positive move to equality? Another said as she was brought up Catholic, that was deemed better than everyone else. One said your need to belong should be to do with your passion – you belong to your own passion in life which means you are secure. The issue of having a voice came through now and that we need to help our young people to be heard and to have a voice. The idea that in Britain young people should be seen and not heard purveys- they are the problem in society and unwelcome. Their voice is important do we respect our young people? The USA affords more respect to young people. In London be quiet. The identity issues of one parent being Austrian and another Chinese – who am I? Where do I come from? This is being noted in a trend report concerning adapted ethnicity http://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/ethnic-influence
These people belong nowhere they are exotic with mixed identity and parenting issues. There is a huge cultural shift in Britain and how young people are treated and where that pressure is coming from.
They are being pressured to be a success and materialism is huge with the impact of consumerism. Children are showing signs of stress and becoming depressed and losing a sense of who they are. They are struggling with self-worth. They are becoming isolated and too connected via technology one person hasn’t spoken to son for ages but now just texts. There is no pride about being British. They are learning Mandarin in case the Chinese take over everything. No parents has huge implications for young people as the theatre group shows. They have no role models, get pregnant to have a flat, make girls pregnant and mourn loss of ability to be a real father. They are having a baby to opt out of society. They are repeating patterns of their elders. They want someone to love them and that’s the baby. Misunderstanding of what being a mother is all about it’s about doing and having responsibility
Parenting as a role is just not valued enough it is not revered. It takes a village to raise a child – where’s the village?
We can all nurture our young ones there are opportunities to bring old and young together and it’s so inspiring when it happens. What about bringing up children alone and if there aren’t grandparents no-one to protect the role of the mother – don’t speak to your mother like that.
Competitiveness is threatening so much. We need to build more ties to each other. To make new networks to connect with. Schools, neighbourhood groups. On the positive side they are adapting and may not need so much support.
How can we all contribute to a society that improves the chances of our young people?
First one said ‘education’ and others joined in to say the media has to present more realistic images of young people and show more opportunities that are attainable rather than just celebrities and pop stars. There are issues with the filters that normal society puts in for children with young children listening to pop music that is explicit and inappropriate – how does a parent protect them? They have the worries of an adult at young ages. This was a recurring theme of young people having too much information and knowledge at an age where they are not mature enough to make sense of it. One young child asked about rape?
How do we help them self-filter? So they have enough awareness to work out who they are and what is acceptable for them and unacceptable for them. This lead to a long discussion on conformity. One person noted that in the sixties although there was free love and drugs there was not so much pressure to conform. Young people let you be who you wanted to be. Others discussed this and that today young people are under pressure to dress right to have the Ugg boots and not fakes as people will look down on them. In previous generations people respected differences more. One key question was asked…who is responsible, where is the pressure coming from? How are we not all responsible for this pressure. The idea of belonging was a long thread of conversation – the idea of international and globalised childhoods and the potential impact on identity. Many guests were multi-cultural and multi-lingual and they were concerned about the impact on their children. Another discussed identity and its impact on our lives. We discussed the joint responsibility of schools and parents and the way we help our children develop a conscience and how do we make that happen or is it innate? The role of teachers and their impact on our children’s lives was touched upon. The difficulties for schools now with restrictions placed on them is reducing their care for young people. The idea of belonging came up again and again with one saying they had moved every three years as a child and so had no need to belong – they were used to establishing groups and could accept change easily. The link with independence compared to a need to belong was established. The idea of being different not better was opened up – where one person growing up in the Lebanon was brought up to see herself as better than others not equal but better. Was this something that now our children were missing out on – the idea that they were better or is this a positive move to equality? Another said as she was brought up Catholic, that was deemed better than everyone else. One said your need to belong should be to do with your passion – you belong to your own passion in life which means you are secure. The issue of having a voice came through now and that we need to help our young people to be heard and to have a voice. The idea that in Britain young people should be seen and not heard purveys- they are the problem in society and unwelcome. Their voice is important do we respect our young people? The USA affords more respect to young people. In London be quiet. The identity issues of one parent being Austrian and another Chinese – who am I? Where do I come from? This is being noted in a trend report concerning adapted ethnicity http://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/ethnic-influence
These people belong nowhere they are exotic with mixed identity and parenting issues. There is a huge cultural shift in Britain and how young people are treated and where that pressure is coming from.
They are being pressured to be a success and materialism is huge with the impact of consumerism. Children are showing signs of stress and becoming depressed and losing a sense of who they are. They are struggling with self-worth. They are becoming isolated and too connected via technology one person hasn’t spoken to son for ages but now just texts. There is no pride about being British. They are learning Mandarin in case the Chinese take over everything. No parents has huge implications for young people as the theatre group shows. They have no role models, get pregnant to have a flat, make girls pregnant and mourn loss of ability to be a real father. They are having a baby to opt out of society. They are repeating patterns of their elders. They want someone to love them and that’s the baby. Misunderstanding of what being a mother is all about it’s about doing and having responsibility
Parenting as a role is just not valued enough it is not revered. It takes a village to raise a child – where’s the village?
We can all nurture our young ones there are opportunities to bring old and young together and it’s so inspiring when it happens. What about bringing up children alone and if there aren’t grandparents no-one to protect the role of the mother – don’t speak to your mother like that.
Competitiveness is threatening so much. We need to build more ties to each other. To make new networks to connect with. Schools, neighbourhood groups. On the positive side they are adapting and may not need so much support.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Parenting, Feminine Values & Now Privacy
We've been busy lately having conversations, so busy we haven't written up the last three. Sorry for that and normal service will be resumed shortly. Thanks for keeping posted with what's going on and we'll be in touch shortly with the latest posts and news.
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