Palen, L., & Dourish, P. (2003). Unpacking “privacy” for a networked world. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems,129-136. doi: 10.1145/642611.642635

Citation

Purpose of article

To build on Irwin Altman’s (1977) theory of privacy across cultures and apply it to our digital world.

Main Argument(s) and supporting evidence

Palen and Dourish (2003) introduce Altman’s privacy theory as a dynamic process that fluctuates between publicity (“openness”) and privacy (“closedness”) across cultures and argue for privacy management because information technologies destabilize the regulation of boundaries, specifically “disclosure,” “identity,” and “temporality.” Disclosure boundaries relate to the role of privacy as it increases or limits the access of one’s personal information or location in a networked world. Identity boundaries encompass privacy as a social phenomenon, between the self and other, mediated by technology to either include or exclude through one’s action. Temporal boundaries regard privacy in the past, present, and future as dynamic, dialectic, and negotiated. The authors illustrate how all three boundaries work interdependently to solve the ongoing tensions between privacy management and regulation within a technologically mediated environment by showcasing five case studies.

Method(s) (e.g., case studies, interviews, thought piece, survey)

Case studies. The article consists of five case studies to support the authors’ argument and analysis.

Areas / Topics / Keywords

Privacy, Surveillance, Monitoring, Boundaries

Author(s)’(s) understanding/definitions of key concepts

Information technologies have created virtual settings that go beyond the spatial, physical, and temporal restrictions of the built world.

Theoretical frameworks followed by the author(s)

Symbolic Interactionism, a microsociological perspective that looks at subjective indicators such as self, meaning, and purpose to understand social behaviour as it relates to technology and the multi-faceted nature of privacy.

Novel ideas introduced by this article

Palen and Dourish`s conceptual framework captures the tensions within the dynamic and multi-dimensional nature of privacy while prioritizing the importance of how technology is negotiated into cultural practices and subordinating its functional capabilities.

Pitfalls, blind spots, and weaknesses of this article

The case studies are used for illustrative purposes only and create the impression that they were included as an afterthought as a way to make their argument “tangible” while increasing the article’s page numbers.

Potential Contribution to the scholarship of Social Studies of Library and Information and to the practice of Librarianship

The paper’s contribution to the scholarship and practice of the information profession can be seen as increasing awareness of how people negotiate their own privacy in different situations and how this negotiation is in constant flux. Servicing the public needs to take into consideration the dynamic nature of the public and private sphere. We should be mindful that people may want their privacy although they are in a public setting and vice versa. Also, people are no longer restricted by their physical environment, so libraries need to expand their online presence to accommodate patrons’ needs.

Page Author: Vivian McCollor