The Right to Privacy... What does that mean?

In today’s world, a world of sharing your story, (rather on youtube, twitter, facebook, or one of the many other sharing websites) what use to be considered private matters, has become public news to our friends, family, and even strangers. 

Almost every month in the news there is a story on a celebrate who’s ex-lover, or someone else, has shared a private text, video or tape recording. There was the instance where Tiger Woods’ mistresses (plural) shared the private text messages that were sent to them from Tiger Woods’, and then they shared the pictures and possible videos. Another big celebrate news story, which may have crossed the line of privacy when Mel Gibson’s girl friend/ baby mama share phone conversations that she taped of them arguing (now I’m not taking sides or defending anyone in this blog). The fact that these events, which use to be private, have occurred in the public light and became widely accepted public events, our society is sending a message to everyone that any and everything can be shared.

Here is my question. Is there such a thing as privacy anymore? Has society done way with it? And if so, what does that mean for the future? I’m asking this questions because I have noticed that the younger generations have lost a sense of privacy, I actually don’t know if they even know what that word means anymore. With the recent suicide at Rutgers University because one roommate taping a private moment of the other roommate and then posting it on the web, and an incident with one of my friend’s high student who took his ex-girlfriend’s nude picture and posted on facebook, I’m starting to believe that as technology increases, privacy decreases.

So, where does that leave us? Is there a such thing as privacy? If so, how do we determine what is considered private information and what is public information? How do we begin to teach privacy to a generation that has been sharing their lives on the Internet, with no real rules, since the day they were born? Is the idea of privacy even relevant in today’s society? The Right to Privacy, What does that mean to you?