Mez Breeze creates code poetry and is a Futurist. She explores environments that involve online socializations or encounters. Such encounters involves the modification of online gaming environments such as World of Warcraft, EVE Online, and Second Life. Some other online encounters involve social networking and alternate gaming software such as Facebook, Passively Multimedia Online Game (PMOG), and Twitter. The texts or jargon produced during these encounters are what drove Mez to create her type of net poetry. She has won several awards including the “JavaArtist of the Year 2001”, the Newcastle Digital Poetry Prize and an Honorary Mention in the read_me 1.2 Software Art Award.

Social networks are often in the news, why do you think this is?
straight away i find myself side-tilt>head-turn-questioning the phrase “in the news”: r u reffing the old skool>1-way monothreaded>tradition “broadcast” sense of “news”? if yes, then soc[ial]_net[work]s r often reffed>dissected there via a combination of novelty factoids [including the obligatory derogatory slant on any comm platform that threatens the longevity of the older>”traditional” news dissemination strains] + intrigue as 2 how they will impact the future of communication patterns generally. + let’s not 4get the [jump on the trundling-in2-the-relevancy-distance]bandwagon factor.

In what way do they differ from older forms of communication on the Internet?
soc_nets offer engagement with[in] a constant>immediacy state: variables include application-skewed + momentarily-dependent S[tream]o[f]C[onsciousness]-like dispersal with recursively [in relation to standard_concentration lvls] disruptive twists. as i’ve asserted previously [2007]: “Web 2.0 is based on a collusive tapestry of adjoining social nodes. Social Networks such as MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, Orkut, Liveleak, YouTube, Twitter and Pownce aren’t prefaced on pre-set connotative connections maintained through historicized emotional depth or satisfied by biological drives. Friends aren’t friends as we have come to know them: there is no establishment of shared geophysical experiences, no cathartic or chronologically defined friendship markers evident. What’s important is [inter]action and the quantity of it – the residual volume of contact and the fact of shared connection minus a meatbody context. Identity is constructed in these friendship pathways via the idea of notations; of naming labels, of icon attribution, and of clustered info-snippets streamlined through an interface designed for momentary persona snapshots.”

Who is ultimately responsible for what happens to the data you upload to social networks?
that’s a doozy of a qs. intuitively i’m drawn 2 type “the user”, as it seems obvious users r the the ultimate end_node in a responsibility chain that stretches thru various skeins of corporatist red tapesville. wot’s problematic with this “users-should-b-exclusively-responsible-4-wot happens 2-their-data-post-uploading” is the the way T[erms] & C[ondition]s alter rapidly>inconsistently + often without substantial notification>transparency: u may own the data u upload 2 a particular platform>app 1 day + don’t the next.

Do you read Terms of Use or EULA’s and keep up to date about changes applied to them?
i attempt 2 + am a complete scanhead when it comes 2 absorbing specific EULA changes on a macro_lvl. 4eg, take W[orld]o[f]W[arcraft]’s constantly changing EULA during each patch/expansion: i’ll absorb notifications regarding changes via various trusted sources [forums>individuals>groups] + if it’s been flagged as dangerous>gutted beyond recognition, i’ll respond accordingly.

Do you think you’ve got a realistic idea about the quantity of information that is out there about you?
“realistic?” as in actual? i have a fairly comprehensive sense of the long_tailed leanings of my projected>creative>fragmented identity sets [+ that’s mostly due 2 fine_honed crafting of my public(ally accessible digital) profile(s) since the mid 90s]. i also have systems in place that allow a type of monitoring via “digital shearing” [think digital scraping but of an individualistic>deliberately projected identity mold]. i don’t however, have any “real” sense of just how much comprehensive data there is “out there” [think: darknets/deepwebbing>”black_app”ed (aggre)gated datasets] in regards 2 my geophysical details>existence [as i suspect most don’t].

How do you value your private information now? Do you think anything can happen that will make you value it differently in the future?
by private i’m inferring you’re reffing any information i haven’t been keen 2 make explicitly public? if so, then i *do* value certain limits on variables i’m keen 2 keep isolated from general public consumption + i do actively regulate them [as much as i am able]. anything’s possible in relation 2 revaluing my info’s_worth according 2 fluctuating definitions of personal>private>public: especially as i actively encourage traditional_personality> ID_divide blurriness [collapsing professional>hierarchical distinctions such as i practice in my @netwurker Twitter stream].

How do you feel about trading your personal information for online services?
depends entirely on the lvl of data mining>divulgence involved: i’m happy 2 hand ova base personality facts>aspects that [in a holistic sense] make data_scrapers info_salivate + who then create pointless baselines via which 2 pitch useless consumer crap my way [i’ve cultivated fairly resistent ad_blindess + have various mechanism that block content of that nature]. in terms of personal information: i think there’s enormous change in_the_futuroidal_wings regarding wot’s ultimately considered personal + wot’s not [cf the latest furor over leaky Facebook info].

What do you think the information gathered is used for?
anything from: Your Facebook ‘friend’ may be a federal agent +
Police serve intervention order through Facebook 2 Twitter mood predicts the stock market?

Have you ever been in a situation where sharing information online made you uncomfortable? If so, can you describe the situation?
signing up 2 as yet verified early-adopter-type services [+ the associated info_disclosure required] is always a tad hairy: my way of dealing with this is 2 make sure my gatekeeper account/details act as a [marginally] suitable screen. other situs include how Google implemented Buzz [ie that followers could b algorithmically/social-graphed-derived + automagically added without permission] + the Streetview debacle/associated privacy cockups. also, anything Apple does/produces [DRM any1? – such a closed-2-the-hilt ethically unsound business mentality + treating users/developers as unitary cash cows].

What is the worst case scenario, and what impact would that have on an individual?
Forced ARTificial Scarcity as opposed 2 Social Tesseracting.

Nowadays, most of the “reading” of what is written online is done by machines. Does this impact your idea of what is anonymity and privacy?
wot impacts>[in]forms my ideas on anonymity>privacy is more centred on insidious corporate+[in tandem]government influence + rapid>rampant censorship/dictatorial intervention?

Can a game raise issues such as online privacy? And if so, what would you like to see in such a game?
given the geolocative gamification trend [think: Foursquare or Gowalla], i’d say it can indeed effect privacy issues. + there r such games [@ least 4 kids] such as The First Adventure of the Three Cyberpigs.

Employee of a social games company wishes to remain anonymous.

Social networks are often in the news, why do you think this is?
It’s new, there are new biz possibilities, media is interested in money and success stories.

In what way do they differ from older forms of communication on the Internet?
A huge amount of private data from users is available to be used in many ways.

Who is ultimately responsible for what happens to the data you upload to social networks?
Heh heh. The network should be, but I doubt that the systems will ever be very secure. So in reality: the user has the responsibility to think carefully what to upload.

Do you read Terms of Use or EULA’s and keep up to date about changes applied to them?
I am a normal human being. I never do.

Do you think you’ve got a realistic idea about the quantity of information that is out there about you?
Not really.

How do you value your private information now? Do you think anything can happen that will make you value it differently in the future?
I do value my private information and I try to keep just necessary information available. And I don’t want to share any radical thoughts on social networks.

How do you feel about trading your personal information for online services?
It’s ok. But I am willing to share just the minimum amount of real information or I may even use a fake account.

What do you think the information gathered is used for?
Mostly for targeted marketing. Shortly, to make money.

Have you ever been in a situation where sharing information online made you uncomfortable? If so, can you describe the situation?
It’s a typical story. You comment something with wrong words, soon you regret it. So the simple rule is to think twice before posting/sharing/commenting.

What is the worst case scenario, and what impact would that have on an individual?
I’d guess that a very common one is to have problems at work by commenting company strategy or criticizing a superior. In the long run the worst scenario is that there is a lot of wrong or bad information on you and you will never be able to remove that data. It may ruin your life and reputation totally.

Nowadays, most of the “reading” of what is written online is done by machines. Does this impact your idea of what is anonymity and privacy?
Actually yes. It makes me feel that it doesn’t matter much what information I leave behind, which is, of course stupid.

Can a game raise issues such as online privacy? And if so, what would you like to see in such a game?
Games on social networks can easily demonstrate how games can access private information, and how easily users give permission to do so. A game could e.g. reveal texts and photos from user’s profiles. “Click the button x times to reveal a secret” – “share the secret with your friends, earn experience and level up by spreading gossips.”