The attitudes of people using the internet, particularly younger people, about data on the net are well known. Generally there is the point of view that all data should be free. And while numerous businesses, such as the conventional newspapers have been trying to fight this view, they have not succeeded very well.
A second aspect of the new attitudes is that all data is available to be shared. In other words, if it is free, then there is no problem with sharing it with anyone who is interested in it.
Multiply there attitudes with the use of social media and you have a situation in which it becomes increasingly difficult for any company to shield its information from public dissemination. It's very difficult to keep information confidential.
This is a major social upheaval, since data confidentiality has been one of the cornerposts of corporate strategy since time began. Essentially it is a cornerpost of any strategy. Determining when and how to release information is always a fundamental part of a strategy.
We haven't seen the full impact of this trend yet, because there has not been enough time for it to develop and, in addition, the younger people who hold most strongly to the free information concept have not yet reached the levels of corporate hierarchies where they are privy to a lot of sensitive strategic information.
One likely outcome is an increased emphasis by corporate management on "controlling the message". by implementing tighter controls over release of information, speaking with one voice and establishing much more severe sanctions over the people who breach these rules. We already see some governments moving in this direction.
We can expect considerable movement of companies into this space over the next few years. For a take on part of this issue, check out this article.
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