Digital Media Environment and Privacy Issues

The digitalization of all spheres of public life has led to the relocation of many social practices to the virtual space. As a result, there are risks of loss of access control to personal information. This raises concerns similar to the digital panopticon. Initially, the right to privacy presupposed a public consensus that allowed an individual to control access to knowledge about his own personality by other persons and institutions, and the possibility of their deliberate exclusion from access to information. Today, due to the development of information and communication technologies, information asymmetry arises: a citizen does not know who, when and for what purpose collects information about him and how it will be used later. Furthermore, although users are cognizant of potential threats, they frequently consent to the dissemination of personal data in order to establish and cultivate social connections on social media platforms. Some authors believe that, since it is impossible to give up the benefits associated with the use of digital media, it is necessary to abandon old ideas about privacy and enter the era of post-privacy. The purpose of the study is to consider the advantages and risks associated with the digitalization of social space. As a result, it can be posited that privacy is a concept of paramount significance to both modern personality types and contemporary democratic societies. Indeed, the rejection of this concept may ultimately result in an inevitable erosion of crucial rights, including the right to information, self-determination and the very essence of freedom and autonomy.