When many of us took the survey this week to see where we fell on the millennial scale, I found the criteria seriously suspect. Does having multiple body piercings really make you more a part of the millennial generation, or is it a mind set?
Playing with the online apps this week I wondered, was not being millennial why bubbl.us left me cold, or, more ominously in my paranoid mind, was it the fact that I was immediately suspicious of and refused to even play with animoto because it demanded my first and last names, date of birth, and even my zip code? The privacy policy did not reassure. I had the same reaction to StumbleUpon. On one hand, letting some great algorithm find great sites for me based on my use and feedback sounds like fun, on the other, I am reminded of my brother in law's outrage at the way various stores began to track what we were buying in the 90's.
One would think a millennial mindset would be more tuned in to the risks associated with giving out personal stuff online, but maybe not. Then again, I think it is way too soon to be pasting labels on a generation still in the throes of the immortal time of their lives, when sharing your whereabouts and getting yourself tattooed with a passing crush still seem like good choices.
I am definitely veering towards apps that require only an email address and a chosen name.
I know it may feel ethically wrong, but you are absolutely allowed to lie to the internet!
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