My initial reaction to Facebook was pretty indifferent. Ok, so someone took MySpace and streamlined it, made it more professional. Big whoop from my point of view.
Although this article-and our in class discussion- stirred up some very important potential safety issues (such as the use of one's 'likes' to custom-make a menu of advertisements) there is one big point I don't understand. What part of this personalization is so blindingly terrifying? I feel like I'm missing something. If this is all done by a mathematical equation, who is using the information we have willingly provided against us? Where is the problem? If these advertisements are lingering in the margins of our screens, begging for attention, wouldn’t it make more sense to put something there that applies directly to ourselves? Its not like I am going to go out and purchase a lifetime supply of pencils just because there is an ad on my page for supremely awesome writing utensils. That would be the same as jumping off a cliff just because some person you are acquainted with does too. All I’m saying is, it makes sense to advertise products in this manner, and it doesn’t harm anyone, so why not?
I completely understand that the things posted on the internet by me or about me can be viewed by a large amount of other people (to be specific, ‘friends of friends’). But isn’t that the point of social networking? The very definition states that it is: “a collection of websites that allow people to join networks that allow them to socialize with people who have similar tastes.” I thought this meant that social networks -such as Facebook- were meant to be used in a way that reached hundreds of people while keeping you connected to those close to you. Maybe I was wrong…but I don’t think so.
In other words, all I’m getting from this article and our in-class discussion is a better understanding of the ‘risks’ of being on Facebook (in particular, the distribution of personal factoids to an unknown audience) or on any internet site requiring personal information. I will still carefully filter what I post online.
In other words, all I’m getting from this article and our in-class discussion is a better understanding of the ‘risks’ of being on Facebook (in particular, the distribution of personal factoids to an unknown audience) or on any internet site requiring personal information. I will still carefully filter what I post online.
