Early notions of modern democracy leaned heavily on the notion of a “social contract” — the idea that there’s a relationship between the governed and government, in which the people cede some rights in exchange for certain benefits. You give up the right to kill whomever you please and the government grants you a measure of security — that kind of thing. Both sides have a part to play. The deal doesn’t work if only one side lives up to the agreement.
In today’s lead story in SmartBrief on Social Media, Christina Gagnier is discussing online privacy standards when she makes a reference to “the evolving ‘social contract’ that should just be understood between platforms and their users.” Of course, she notes, there are substantial differences between the constitution of a sovereign state and the terms of service on a Web site. But the idea that we give up something in order to receive a benefit from a collective remains intact.
Social networks often feel very democratic — all those people, those conversations, those ideas! But is the comparison really apt?
Do you think users and networks share a “social contract”? Does that contract just refer to the terms of service, or is it something more? What are you personally willing to give up to secure the benefits that belonging to a social network confers? At what point do you decide the contract is no longer valid and “revolt” by leaving the network?
Image credit, Sergej Khakimullin, via Shutterstock
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[...] Do social networks share a â??social contractâ? with users …2 hours ago by Jesse Stanchak Early notions of modern democracy leaned heavily on the notion of a social contract — the idea that there's a relationship between the governed and. [...]
This is our contract with users of http://BusinessCard2.com
BusinessCard2: our declaration of the ideals upon which BusinessCard2 is run..
BusinessCard2 has been developed to provide a central and open place for all consumers, tradesmen and professionals around the World to convene at the human level. Anyone may use BusinessCard2 so long as their intentions are legal, do not hurt others, and follow the Terms of Service.
We believe there are certain fundamental values that should be cherished:
•Business is about human beings, even on the web
•Self-determination is the foundation of commercial freedom
•All people should be allowed to transact across the web, free of geo politics, and to enter into commerce at will
•If you choose to market on the internet, you should be completely transparent and accessible (no hiding)
I think it's a shame that, by the sounds of it, this issue was talked about from a purely US perspective. For example, the comment in the main piece, " a good rule of thumb is to at least give your users a "heads up" in terms of what data is being collected and how it is being used" is actually a pretty good description of what the law requires (and have required for many years) right across most of Europe. That's existing requirements, not emerging future standards.
For social networks and others who operate internationally, it's not just the 'social contract' which emerges with their American users that matters but also the cumulative impact of the different regulations around the world.
My recent post Martin Salter: an easy answer to a clichéd Twitter question
I thought Danah Boyd's keynote was focused a bit too much on the present state of privacy in America. As I wrote in my post ("Privacy is History") about Boyd's SXSW keynote, as our definition of privacy changes, so will what we consider to be the current social contract.
My recent post Danah Boyd SXSW Keynote: Privacy is History
I personally think because Facebook’s business model is to exploit and pimp it’s user base, vs charging a monthly fee for a closed network that protects privacy and eliminates advertising, that they have the least trust of any network. So I feel the sec…not minute…sec there is a better service that allows real conversations among multiple users (similar to Google Wave seems to allow), there will be a stampede for the doors. Remember all these networks care about only 1 thing. The IPO. After they go public and cash out they could care less about the user base or the investors who bought the hype.