But many of us who closely guard our wallets have cut a wide swath with our digital identities. Not only do we order merchandise online, but we also post personal information on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, WordPress and multiple outlets in many of our workplaces (industry journals, minutes from meetings and recorded speeches). If you use Google for email and Google+, many of your online activities are automatically linked.
Even our mothers’ maiden names, once a bastion of privacy, are easy pickings for the most amateur identity thief.
For some of us, the shift towards digital was incremental but relatively quick. But many young people today have begun questioning the wisdom and necessity of sharing with abandon. In recent memory, many point to Edward Snowden and the Target hack as reasons to re-evaluate. And with digital-savvy parents posting selfies on Facebook and easily following the once-carefree 20-somethings’ digital footprints, the Internet has begun to feel like a creepy small town.
As a result, a new trend is emerging online and in mobile apps: a quest for digital anonymity. Or at least lowered exposure.
With Facebook experiencing a middle-aged problem, many younger people are seeking ways to communicate with peers without sharing everything with everyone. Their parents, who have embraced platforms like Facebook, can’t helicopter overhead if the messages being sent are written in the equivalent of invisible ink.
When Snapchat debuted, the app garnered its share of controversy over photos and videos that can be shared, then automatically deleted after several seconds. In fact, all many of us could imagine passing from one person to another was inappropriate content of one sort or another. But Snapchat fans are conscious of their digital footprint. A fleeting thought or quickly framed “Snap” doesn’t need to live forever. But of course, not even privacy-conscious apps are foolproof: the recipient can take a screen shot and capture your momentary thought… joke’s on you.
Another app, Confide, claims to self-destruct your messages shortly after they are received. Plenty of other apps are on board to offer fleeting anonymity or assurances of a clean slate, providing the recipient isn’t able to take a screen shot of your message.
But if a wave of anonymity begins sweeping the Internet, or at least a portion of the young and upwardly mobile generation, how can we all continue to market, share and communicate if they opt out?
In a mobile world where consumers can check into a club on Foursquare and a restaurant on Foodspotting, they can share every move… and delight marketing directors everywhere.
But the lines continue to blur when sharing personal information, tracking your travels through GPS, sending personal messages, filling out healthcare forms and scanning checks with your mobile device exist in the same space with an increasing need for privacy. Even facial recognition software may become commonplace in retail venues.
Today’s market is in flux. Savvy marketers must walk the line between offering a much-needed service and invading a growing need of digital anonymity. Are you up for the challenge?
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