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Loading ...I dunno about the rest of you but Facebook certainly took a wrong turn, at the wrong time of year, and is pissing off a lot of people. There are several blog posts on this blog dealing with much of this issue, and there are many more floating around on the web.
I just read two articles: Speaking of Facebook as an underground intranet… and I’m Ready to Bail on Facebook - the New Face of Evil.
Both these articles deal with Beacon and the issues of privacy. You see, this is the funny paradox about the web, and the part that fascinates me on one level, about our reaction to the “loss” of privacy. The internet, by nature is an open system, it is how it thrives and is what makes it so powerful.
Personally, I have never been a fan of the Facebook, Myspace, Orkut. I never truly understood the point of hanging out in a “mini-web” with a bunch of people I know really well (who I could just as easily email, call or visit) and those that I barely know (and therefore rarely email, call or visit). What puzzeled me even more is it was closed - you could not interact directly with the broader web, with the community of the globe. It, in my opinion only truly benefits the owners of these networks because they have absolute control of the way information is shared, with who and when. In many cases that seems like the antipathy of the internet. It is this “closed” aspect of Facebook that made Beacon seem so appealing to corporate websites. They couldn’t get access to this data without Facebook setting a price. Why does Facebook get paid? Where’s my cut?
It is for this reason that I got so excited about the announcement of Open Social (http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/). It opens these SNS’s to the web, to the world and returns the web users to the space that they belong. The democracy of the web. The open web. Ultimately I don’t like one group of people, Facebook who had told me (even if it was never true, or never could be true) that I was joining a private and safe network that only allowed people who I “friended” into my network, having control over who ultimately does get access to my information. They told me to join a private friends only network and then went and turned around and sold all of my information to the highest bidder. Pretty messed up if you ask me.
This angst needs to be held up against the other truth of the internet. In order to participate in the internet you have to give up a degree of your rights - mostly the right to privacy. You have to make your presence known, you have to express yourself, you have to tell people what you like and don’t like to participate in democracies. In order to gain the benefits of the web you have to openly and freely participate. It is what is scary about the web, but it is also what makes it truly remarkable and powerful - as this openness makes democracies truly remarkable and powerful. And, at times, this openness may be uncomfortable or more then you wanted to share. Yet, the value is built into the openness, the freedom to express, to say what you want and do what you want. Regardless of what others think (this of course always comes with the, “as long as you are not hurting anyone else” mantra).
The fact really is that the actions you take on the internet are never truly private. You have to go to great lengths to experience a trail free ride around the internet. People need to realize this.
My main point here is that we are right to be pissed off at Facebook because it has taken actions that are disingenuous, are using their members, and not being straight up and honest.
We at Abraham Harrison (www.abrahamharrison.com) know more then anything else that in order to play and participate in Social Media you need to be honest, transparent and straight-up or be prepared for major rebellion.
Where is the new SNS? Any suggestions? Me, I say lets all support Open Social!!
Filed under: Abraham Harrison LLC, Advertisements, Advertising, Attention Data, Attention Marketing, Attention Profiling, Behavioral Targeting, Facebook, Facebook Apps, Facebook Beacon, SNS, SNS Marketing, SNS Strategy, Social Meda, Social Network Services, Social Networking, Social Networks
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I dont know about your side, but here in South Africa Facebook is losing steam fast, its just not what it used to be and I guess people are starting to realize the risks to it as well. Nice article.
Hey Jason,
Thanks for the comment. That is really interesting to hear (BTW I am a fellow South African…I will be in CT for 4 months soon). Yes, I think that Facebook is ultimately going to take a big hit on this. They have crossed the line and people are not going to feel “safe” in this space.
Thanks Jason.
Cheers,
Saul