To define the private and public space in a innovative way

Do mobile technologies blur the boundary of private and public space? Actually, I do not agree that this is a blur of the boundary. Ostensibly, a mobile technology seems make the boundary of private and public space being complicate. Indeed, it is not a blur of the boundary as we can make a new definition of private and public space with more details, to fit the current state more, to make the boundary become clear again. In fact, I believe that sometimes the private space and public space can be combining, no matter in the traditional or the new generation. I would like to explain it more detail with the situation in Hong Kong.

Owing to Hong Kong is a prosperity city, everyone are financially able to own a smart phone. Or even hongkonger can’t handle their daily affairs without the mobile devices. With the fact that hongkonger have a fast-paced life, we are always being busy. We do enjoy working with the mobile devices every moment while no one we meet are being with us, or we can communicate with the friends next to us and use our mobile devices in the same time. We do love to use our mobile devices in the physically public space (please let me define the public space like the transportations, public places… as the physically public space), but the spaces inside the screen of our mobile devices are private. So it makes contradictions, making people thing that the boundary of private and public space being blur. However, I think that in this situation, the main factor to decide if it is private or public space is depends on what the activity the people are doing with the devices. The things that people doing in the devices can classified as private space, public space, and the combination of private and public space. Let me briefly introduce them to you with a table:

	Definition	Example
Private Space	Activities that do with oneself or the people you know.	·     Making notes for personal use/ checking map ·     Chatting with friends with Whatsapp, Line, WeChat… ·     Sharing feelings and pictures on the social media such as Facebook and set “only friends can see”
Public Space	Activities that open to public.	·      Uploading videos to YouTube and set “everyone can see” ·      Posting and leaving comment on public forum like HKGolden ·      Leaving comment under pieces of online news such as Appledaily
Combination of Private and Public Space	Activities that doing with people we know and the public in the same time.	·      Leaving comment on a public post in Facebook, tagging your friends and everyone can see it

            I have said that the combination of private and public space can also be applied in traditional, not only in the new generation. For example this is happening while two people who know each other chatting very loud on the MTR. Of course, I am not a scholar or public figures. The ideas above are just some of my own views and they are not comprehensive at all.

            To talk about the change of the boundary bring goods or worst to people’s everyday life, I stand neutrally as there are also benefits and harms. For instance, people getting easier to share their ideas and opinions to public, but public easier may accuse you if your speech can’t make public people agree. Moreover you are easier to open your private life to the public carelessly in case you don’t want it happen.

Student Name: Tsang CheukWah