BINGO! “I share everything on social media, so I … win?”: Students’ visibility versus obscurity on social media

Abstract

A core component of teaching media literacy involves students analyzing and reflecting on how they use media in their daily lives. In this hands-on activity, college students play social media privacy bingo. Each square represents a different type of private information that they might choose to share on social media. The instructor calls out different squares, and for each type of information that the student shared on social media, they mark the square. The first one to get a “bingo” wins. Or do they? This activity is designed to facilitate reflection about how accessible and visible personal information is online, helping students critically apply core concepts of online self-disclosure and privacy to their personal media use. Courses Media Literacy; Social Media Effects; Introduction to Media Effects; Introduction to Media Studies; Introduction to Mass Communication; Introduction to Communication. Objectives By the end of the activity, students will be able to explain the concepts of online self-disclosure and the visibility-obscurity continuum, critique their personal position on the visibility–obscurity continuum, recognize examples of private information shared online, and assess the role of users and social media platforms in protecting users’ privacy.