What'sTrending
Giving up vital information in the chase for 'likes'
They say your face is your fortune, and as valuable as your fingerprint.
Some futurologists have now posited that making online purchases with your visage could be a common practice in the near term.
It is little wonder then that a Google app which matches a user's selfies to famous works of art has drawn privacy concerns.
The Google Arts & Culture app allows users to take selfies and match them with artwork pulled from more than 1,200 museums in over 70 countries.
Despite being available only since last December, the app has gone viral as more and more users share their matches on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon as well, and here in Singapore, people have been comparing politicians to their artwork "lookalikes".
Not all have been flattering.
Now a growing number of people have expressed scepticism about the app's intentions.
After all, this nifty feature has essentially given Google a steady stream of facial information from willing users.
Responding to the concerns, a Google spokesman told The Washington Post that the selfies are not being used to train machine learning programs.
They are also not being used to build a database of faces.
Google said the photos are stored only for as long as it takes to search for matches.
"Google is not using these selfies for anything other than art matches," said the spokesman.
However, many remain unconvinced.
The United States' Electronic Privacy Information Centre spokesman said the rise of facial recognition by Google and Apple, which uses Face ID, "normalises a privacy-invasive technology that lacks meaningful protection for users".
Others have said that while Google's stance has been rather benign, there is no telling when this will change.
The danger is, by then, many users would have become dependent on such services.
The onus is on the user to decide how much information he wants to provide to these technology giants.
Users just have to decide if giving up such information is worth garnering likes.
There are broadly four types of young social media users: geeks, lurkers, Internet celebrities and victims.
According to researchers from Sussex University, the geek is savvy enough to build a credible professional persona with ambiguous names and scant personal details.
He is likely to be male, and is interested in gaming and creating content. He also worries about being exposed and facing ridicule.
The Internet celebrity, or an aspiring one, is a prolific content creator with dreams of making it big as an influencer.
He or she istransparent, documenting all aspects of his or her daily life in a carefully curated manner, with the aim of attracting as many followers as possible.
Nothing is off-limits. Relationship drama, constant selfies and rivalries with other wannabe online celebrities are par for the course.
In contrast, the lurker shies away from creating any sort of content, choosing instead to comment, follow, like and share on social media platforms.
The anonymity allows the lurker to enjoy approving or disapproving other people's content.
It is also likely the lurker favours more anonymous platforms such as Reddit to avoid being identified.
The last of the lot is the victim.
He or she lacks the basic knowledge to stay safe.
Victims share intimate information without thinking about the consequences and are prone to being cyber bullied.
The researchers suggest that victims are overwhelmingly likely to be young women.
The findings have been published in a book titled Researching Everyday Childhoods, which studied the online activity and visibility of children aged between 10 and 15.
It has tossed up several interesting trends.
For instance, more young people are opting to be lurkers and geeks by reducing what they share online in a conscious effort to avoid being a victim.
"Our research found that concerns about staying safe online created an atmosphere of intense anxiety for young people, even if they had not directly experienced any problems themselves," said researcher Liam Berriman.
"The young people we spoke to felt a great weight of responsibility for their safety online and were often motivated by the concern of being labelled a victim."
Observers attribute this shift to an increasing awareness among the young of the repercussions and effects of cyber bullying.
LOGAN PAUL: The notable YouTuber who faced flak for his video on Japan's suicide forest has responded with a slick apology video. The verdict is still out on whether the clip is a public relations stunt or genuine contrition.
SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON: Thousands of Singaporeans left the comfort of their homes to witness the rare lunar trifecta that combines a blue moon, a super moon and a total eclipse.
BUZZFEED IN GHIM MOH MARKET: Buzzfeed's food reviewers who travel the globe in search of good eats visited Ghim Moh market recently to try out four different breakfasts popular among Singaporeans.
In a recent case, 12-year-old Gabriella Green took her own life after two classmates started rumours about her online.
The suspects allegedly said Gabriella had sexually transmitted diseases, assailed her with vulgarities and threatened to expose personal and sensitive details about her life online.
They also encouraged her to end her life.
She was found dead in her closet.
In the US, one in three children says he or she is cyber bullied, while 12 per cent say they have attacked others online.
The silver lining in this seemingly endless wave of social media casualties is that research into the pitfalls of excessive use has been on the rise.
This knowledge will likely arm parents with the right set of data and skills to ensure such incidents do not become commonplace here.
