Comments on: How Facebook Failed Privacy 101 http://www.tinysci.com/2009/12/11/how-facebook-failed-privacy-101/ Snippets of Summarized Science Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:55:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Ramses Agustin http://www.tinysci.com/2009/12/11/how-facebook-failed-privacy-101/#comment-144 Ramses Agustin Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:17:49 +0000 http://www.tinysci.com/?p=532#comment-144 I agree that Facebook's new privacy options are complicated and that users need to be responsible with whom they friend and what they post. However, I think your opinion of why people use Facebook is a little narrow. Basically, you seem to argue that Facebook is to connect with your _current_ circle of friends. Not that there's anything wrong with that. However, I think people use Facebook to learn about new friends and to reconnect with old friends. Essentially, the groups I'm going to use as my examples are twenty-something college students and, for want of a better term, adults. Historically, when Facebook was founded, it was open only to college students. People in this generation typically grew up in an environment of ubiquitous communication: their own cell phones for talk & texting and their own internet-connected computers with some instant messaging client installed. Consequently, they're much more "open" and connected with their peers. I've heard it said that "kids" collect FB friends like collecting baseball cards. Some they keep and treasure; others they discard without any personal emnity. Eventually Facebook went public and allowed anyone to sign up. And in the past few years, the largest demographic to join is those aged 35-54. For these people, the major incentive for use is to reconnect with people they've lost touch with in the past. Personally, I've used various social networks to reconnect with past acquaintances from undergrad, high school, and even elementary school. The unconscious predicament of using social networks is in answering the question "Are these people _still_ friends?" Time and experience change us all, for better and for worse. Ultimately, Facebook (and similar social networks) circumvent the rules of self-disclosure, i.e. the natural process of how we communicate and reveal ourselves and become "friends." (This goes to the core of _my_ opinion of Facebook, but that's for another discussion). On Facebook, all your information is out there, all at once. For the younger generation, is this a problem? I know a lot of significantly younger people, and many say they aren't so much, but I think they just haven't thought out the ramifications. For the adults, well, many of my cohort can be opinionated. And by that, I mean judgmental. Enough said? Each of us belongs to several distinct overlapping and non-overlapping social circles, and Facebook's "failure" lies in being greedy and trying to cater to every group and every taste. Over the past few years, I've watched as Facebook features expand and the site emulate other specialized networks. With Facebook, you can send messages, chat, post status updates and notes, share pictures, give virtual gifts, take quizzes, "like" stuff... no wonder the site's privacy settings are confusing! Jack of all trades, master of none. Anyway, I think I've rambled on for too long now. I agree that Facebook’s new privacy options are complicated and that users need to be responsible with whom they friend and what they post. However, I think your opinion of why people use Facebook is a little narrow. Basically, you seem to argue that Facebook is to connect with your _current_ circle of friends. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. However, I think people use Facebook to learn about new friends and to reconnect with old friends. Essentially, the groups I’m going to use as my examples are twenty-something college students and, for want of a better term, adults.

Historically, when Facebook was founded, it was open only to college students. People in this generation typically grew up in an environment of ubiquitous communication: their own cell phones for talk & texting and their own internet-connected computers with some instant messaging client installed. Consequently, they’re much more “open” and connected with their peers. I’ve heard it said that “kids” collect FB friends like collecting baseball cards. Some they keep and treasure; others they discard without any personal emnity.

Eventually Facebook went public and allowed anyone to sign up. And in the past few years, the largest demographic to join is those aged 35-54. For these people, the major incentive for use is to reconnect with people they’ve lost touch with in the past. Personally, I’ve used various social networks to reconnect with past acquaintances from undergrad, high school, and even elementary school. The unconscious predicament of using social networks is in answering the question “Are these people _still_ friends?” Time and experience change us all, for better and for worse.

Ultimately, Facebook (and similar social networks) circumvent the rules of self-disclosure, i.e. the natural process of how we communicate and reveal ourselves and become “friends.” (This goes to the core of _my_ opinion of Facebook, but that’s for another discussion). On Facebook, all your information is out there, all at once. For the younger generation, is this a problem? I know a lot of significantly younger people, and many say they aren’t so much, but I think they just haven’t thought out the ramifications. For the adults, well, many of my cohort can be opinionated. And by that, I mean judgmental. Enough said?

Each of us belongs to several distinct overlapping and non-overlapping social circles, and Facebook’s “failure” lies in being greedy and trying to cater to every group and every taste. Over the past few years, I’ve watched as Facebook features expand and the site emulate other specialized networks. With Facebook, you can send messages, chat, post status updates and notes, share pictures, give virtual gifts, take quizzes, “like” stuff… no wonder the site’s privacy settings are confusing! Jack of all trades, master of none.

Anyway, I think I’ve rambled on for too long now.

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