Clive Thompson on Secret Messages in the Digital Age
In 440 BC, the Greek historian Herodotus first described a trick that spies used to send hidden messages. They’d write something on the wooden back of a wax tablet, then cover the message with wax bearing its own message. If enemies intercepted the tablet, they wouldn’t suspect it contained anything strange. It’s called steganography: hiding one message inside another.
Two thousand years later, teenagers are doing something similar to communicate with one another—on Facebook.
What turned teens into Greek spies? The parent problem. If you’re in high school these days, a lot of your socializing happens online, but your parents usually insist on being “friended” so they can check what you’re posting. This creates a communication dilemma. You want to post candid updates about your life so your friends know what’s going on—but not so candid that your folks catch wind of it.
The solution is what researcher Danah Boyd has dubbed social steganography. Teenagers now post status updates that have two layers: A bland surface meaning intended for parents, and a deeper, richer significance that can be decoded only by close friends.
» via Wired
