A (My)Space of One's Own: On Privacy and Online Social Networks

Abstract

We are living in an era in which society’s conceptualizations and expectations of privacy are in flux, resulting in moral panic and legal quandary. This article argues that the law is ill-equipped to contend with the modern privacy and personality harms often posed on online social networks. In order to begin to update the law and make it relevant in this new social sphere, it is necessary to debunk underlying generation-specific assumptions about privacy, technology, and assumption of risk. To that end, this article sets forth and elaborates on four compelling arguments why privacy and personality should be protected on online social networking sites.