As it is human nature to communicate, we have to decide how much information we like to “share” with others nowadays.

A personal handwritten letter or a landline telephone call are very rare these days, as our options for communications are easier, faster and have become huge in varieties to choose from. On the one hand we are all addicted to mobility, even if we do not pay so much attention to the traceability, but what happens on the internet, stays on the internet. Or in different words: The internet never forgets. The overall advice to “treat personal data with adequate care” is still valid, but if we communicate via the social media channels we often forget what happens to our messages, photos and positioning of information. None of us want to become transparent citizens, but aren’t we already transparent?

For example, most of the time by posting photos on Facebook, the place of origin with longitudes and latitudes is available for others: the accuracy is as detailed as +/- one meter. Every German citizen who uses the internet can be surveyed legally, due to the fact that the internet is stateless. No matter if you are located in Berlin, Hamburg or Munich, by using Google, watching videos on YouTube, mailing messages via your provider, the data which is transferred always seeks the fastest way, and even data which is sent only within Germany will pass for example, to American servers. These data can be elected in seconds.

We are not only using social media channels on a private base. Companies also have their own accounts at several providers and employees have their company related accounts to be able to communicate with customers and suppliers all over the world. It is to the advantage of companies if they set up guideline and standing orders, as to what and how communication and posts have to be made. The policies have to be defined, especially in multi-cultural acting organizations, posts should be approved and edited before postings are made.

By combining personal and company related social media activities, it is very easy to draw a picture about a person’s personal conditions.

A few years ago the “chief searcher” of an American defense contractor explained in a promo video on YouTube how easy it is to find out information about one of his employees. He searched for free available data in social networks and was able to tell what a person is doing, where he lives and what he will do in the future, in a matter of minutes. He also mentioned, “if you want to meet this guy or if you want his laptop, you should visit him on Monday evening at 6:00p.m. at his gym”.

These days, due to referencing IT-specialists and representatives of electronic companies, we are in the beginning of a boom phase for new electronical device which will make the connectivity and availability of each person, more accessible and faster. The availability of data about each person is given, where each of us can pretend to be others by using the means to analyze, and set up profiles for various purposes (especially consumer behaviour).

Connecting with people, no matter if in the private sector or in a business context, should be done with deliberation, based on social networks and channels.