Privacy and Protection in the Digital Age

I tend to be a little too "oh my gosh...this is so Orwellian" whenever I have conversations about privacy and internet safety. Perhaps I'm just a little too hyper-sensitive about keeping myself safe and anonymous online (like I won't even go close to paying my bills online and whenever I check my bank account, I'm in and out of there like nobody's business and I guard my passwords with extreme vigilance and I'm always checking and double-checking urls and those little security locks in the bottom right hand corner of the browser to make sure I'm not giving my information away to just anyone...).

But this trembling awareness about my privacy and protecting my personal information has also had its downsides (I know, I know, I'm probably not supposed to say that...). For example, I know tons of kiddos (including my 18-year-old brother-in-law) who have developed incredibly safe and supportive online communities that I have missed out on in fear. And talking to young adults, many of whom certainly need a healthy dose of awareness about staying safe on the internet and the value of keeping personal information private (would your grandma really want to see those pictures on your myspace page...I didn't think so...), I realized that I might kind of be in denial about my own safety through hyper-awareness. My information is available to anyone who wants it...and creating an online "me" (that may seem a little too upfront and personal) may be just as much about controlling access to my off-line me as my currently presumed anonymity...

I suppose this is just a big ramble...

But I can only do so much to protect myself and to inform others on internet safety and best practice. Even my checking account with [enter name of great big banking corporation here] could be exposed through no fault of my own, but rather a breach in security on the part of [enter name of great big banking corporation here]. I suppose as a librarian I'm very much on the side of privacy and an advocate of free and anonymous information seeking and exploration...I'm just a little afraid that the next few generations of library patrons might not be as concerned about maintaining this privacy - and is it me or them that has it "wrong"? I'm just positive it is them...