Knowledge Organiser: Cultural and Privacy Issues
Key Terms
- Digital footprint: The trail of data left by a person's online activity
- Active footprint: Data deliberately shared by the user (posts, photos, comments)
- Passive footprint: Data collected without the user's direct action (browsing history, location, cookies)
- Echo chamber: Online environment where users only encounter views that match their own
- Filter bubble: Algorithms personalise content based on past behaviour, limiting exposure to diverse views
- Censorship: Government or platform control over what content is accessible online
- Globalisation: Technology connecting world economies, cultures, and communication
Must-Know Facts
- Digital footprints are difficult to remove — "the internet never forgets"
- Employers and universities check social media profiles before decisions
- Echo chambers are caused by user behaviour; filter bubbles are caused by algorithms
- Social media can spread misinformation rapidly to large audiences
- The digital divide means not everyone benefits equally from technology
- DMGCF: Digital footprint, Misinformation, Globalisation, Censorship, Future of work
Key Concepts
- Active vs passive footprint: what you share vs what is collected about you
- Echo chamber (people choose) vs filter bubble (algorithm decides) — different causes, similar effect
- Automation changes employment: some jobs are lost, new technology roles are created
- Exam answers: always balance benefits and risks; use specific examples
Common Mistakes
- Confusing echo chambers and filter bubbles: Echo chambers happen when users actively choose similar content; filter bubbles are created by algorithms without the user choosing — different causes
- Confusing active and passive digital footprints: Active = deliberately shared (posts, comments); passive = collected without direct action (browsing history, location data)
- Giving one-sided answers about technology's cultural impact: Examiners expect balanced answers — technology connects cultures globally but also risks widening the digital divide
- Saying digital footprints can be easily deleted: Data stored by companies, search engines, and archived pages is very difficult to fully remove — "the internet never forgets"
- Treating censorship as always negative: Some censorship protects users (blocking illegal content); exam answers should acknowledge both protective and restrictive uses