One of the biggest issues the online creative community has is privacy. We are aware that publishing something online means that it will be publicly viewed by at least a few people but how do we control what they do with it? Where does it go after that? What can we do about it?
Dr. Paul Gates, a professor at Appalachian State University, explains that our online privacy is given away by ourselves when we gingerly accept the terms of service of an app, a website, or any online service without reading them. This, of course, does not mean that we are helpless under the power of the matrix or anything of the sort, but it does bring an important topic to the table: are we really aware of what it means to publish our original content online?
Most people would agree that the internet is a great platform to get noticed or to start a business, especially a creative one, since it allows artists to reach audiences far beyond their immediate geographic limits. It provides endless possibilities to publish, present, and promote creative content in equally creative ways that can be tailored to the artist’s needs. However, we must be aware that the platforms we use to publish this content have equally creative ways of utilize the data we create for them. Companies and government agencies, among many others, are very interested in monitoring the data that grows and flows online to help know the internet users a little bit better--looking at anything from demographics, purchase behavior, like/sharing patterns, trends, etc.
Being aware of the data that is created by our published content online is very important to assure we are making the best usage of our resources and our original work altogether. The best place to start is by being aware of the specific Terms and Conditions each website or app has set for the usage of the data they collect. This is, of course, easier said than done, since I am sure none of us want to scroll through pages and pages of fine print about each little tedious detail about the website we are trying to use. However, the few minutes of our time spent in this task are sure to pay-off at the end and give us peace of mind that the effort we have put into each piece of our work will be secure and protected from undesired usage.
Intelligent and meaningful use of internet means is the first step towards the protection of original creative content, therefore ensuring its continuous creation, reach, and support across all different kinds of platforms.