In COMM 464 we have been discussing the never-ending debate regarding privacy and social media. With social media sites changing their privacy settings constantly, it’s sometimes difficult to know what, if anything you post is truly private. For a marketing student like myself, this is a fairly easy concept to understand as companies like Facebook and Twitter are constantly evolving to increase revenues and to find new ways to allow businesses to target key consumers. For people like my parents however, this can be a difficult concept to grasp as they explore the latest and greatest technologies and platforms.

I decided to do a little more research into the subject and found a really interesting post on Mashable.com called “Can Facebook Predict Suicide Risks?” Up until now we’ve only discussed how privacy regulations have a negative resonance with consumers, but what if our information from Facebook and social media could actually help us save lives and gain valuable insights for progressive projects?

The article tells of a company called the Durkheim Project which acts as an opt-in program for veterans. When a veteran opts-in they install an app onto their computers, tablets and phones which has an algorithm that detects when the user posts, comments or mentions key phrases and words that may signify them being suicidal. Security is key for the company as they offer complete confidentiality of information and use a firewall to protect the users usage. Why should the loved ones of veterans care if they are posting key words on their social media? Because Dartmouth University, the host institution for this project, conducted research that found “more than 65 percent of users who went on to commit suicide employed key words or phrases on a regular basis on their social media accounts.”

Now this project is opt-in, meaning that the veterans themselves have to decide to sign up for the program once returning from their duty, but what if the information from our social media account could have other societal benefits? For example, cyber-bullying is one of the largest problems facing youth today – often resulting in suicide. What if, like the Durkheim Project, we could use user data to formulate a list of keywords that may signal to a child being cyber bullied? This could help friends and family identify these victims at an earlier stage and help them before it’s too late.

One of my classmates said that because social media is free, we are technically the product. I think this is absolutely true and something we all need to consider when posting and commenting. Because privacy concerns will likely always be present, I think we should focus on how social media can help society, like how the Durkheim Project did. As Michael Jordon said: “Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.”