What does sharing a password say about family culture?
I really liked this article from Gizmodo entitled: “When to Give Your Girlfriend Your Password” (Image above from Gizmodo). The specific article talks about the proper time to give your Internet application passwords to your significant other. In general, from a sociological point of view, it speaks to a growing societal understanding of what is the proper behavior associated with Internet applications.
In short, the article says that it is okay within a relatively short amount of time to give your Netflix password to your girlfriend or boyfriend…but it is never okay to give passwords for your Facebook, Email, or AIM accounts. I agree.
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But Gizmodo does not go far enough in discussing this issue. The article talks about girlfriends. and boyfriends..but what about spouses?
If you withhold your Facebook or email password from your spouse, will it be interpreted as you withholding something? My guess is that how a couple views this issue will be closely aligned with the culture that they come from. In collectivist cultures like Korea, Japan, and India, the sharing of passwords is probably a given. In individualistic cultures like the United States and England, couples may decide to keep their passwords private. It goes even further. I can bet that in male dominated cultures, women share their passwords more than men. So in male dominated societies like Mexico, Thailand, or many African Countries, it is more likely that the woman will share her passwords (or be forced to share them) than the man
Just some food for thought.
