LAYERS OF “NETWORKED PRIVACY”: CONTEXT COLLAPSES ACROSS RELATIONS, TECHNOLOGIES, INSTITUTIONS, AND DATA

Abstract

This paper identifies different layers of “networked privacy," expanding the original concept's focus on (1) networked relations (Marwick and boyd, 2014) to further include (2) networked technologies, (3) networked institutions, and (4) networked data. It teases out various moments of “collision of information norms” or “context collapse” (Marwick and boyd, 2014, p. 1054), which complicate privacy and regulations thereof in recent years. As we are at a critical juncture where information norms are being enshrined in different parts of the world including the EU's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) in the U.S., understanding complex layers of context collapses can shed light on the legal grey areas that would need further examination. This study investigated the U.S. news coverage on digital privacy between January 2018 and June 2020 to explore any layers/moments of “context collapses” with regard to privacy. I conducted a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, 2013), closely examining 300 samples out of 5,874 articles. Rethinking the framework of “networked privacy,” I argue, can help us ensure the "similar minimum levels of privacy" (Regan, 1996) across networked relations, technologies, institutions, and data in the current digital era.