Guest post by Deborah Preston
A large number of people share home movies online or have used one of the share sites; whether it be to watch a tutorial, a music video or a funny cat movie, but what you might not think about is how much personal information you give away in doing so.
Movie and video sharing sites have grown from small communities to the massive ones we know today, and overtime video creators have come and gone, with some having left due to safety threats. In the past year and a half I have noticed a trend that more and more video creators are increasingly sharing their private lives online through their videos. Vlogging is very popular and this is where viewers can gain a more personal insight into the daily lives of the person they watch. A number of these vloggers also do daily vlogs, and with this I have noticed some issues with safety. With the daily vlogs it’s a bit like watching a reality show, or soap, and you can get hooked, eager for the next episode and this has led to some of the bigger video creators attracting a sort of celebrity status in the world of online video.
Sometimes the viewers can really feel a part of the person’s life, asking more and more personal questions and it’s sensible for the video creator not to give too much private information away. Viewers can feel as if they know the video creator, and this is where it can start to get complicated and forms of cyberbullying can occur. Although those commenting might not realise it, some simple comments may have certain amounts of pressure attached to them, be it on appearance or a backlash against a certain video. These can be hard to deal with for younger video creators, especially if they are receiving a lot of spam or comments from trolls. We all enjoy sharing our life experiences with one another, but anything uploaded online will stay there, and so it is important to make sure that what you share online doesn’t affect your privacy or put you in an awkward position. Stay tuned next week for tips on staying safe when sharing video online.