No Privacy - Open Post #2

The Wall Street Journal recent article about Facebook’s breach of privacy claims that “many of the popular applications on the social-networking site Facebook Inc. have been transmitting identifying information...to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies.” This information was found in a Wall Street investigation that proves that Facebook is violating it’s privacy rules and is providing personal details about the site’s users.

According to the additional research I’ve done on this new finding, reveals that this concern isn’t solely linked to Facebook, and in fact, it’s a web-wide problem.  As stated by techcrunch.com, “if we do stuff online, people are tracking it and putting it into a database and trying to sell you stuff based on that.” It is perhaps not as serious and consequential as The Wall Street Journal article would like us to believe. Furthermore, it is important to note that “the Wall Street Journal’s sister company and Facebook competitor is Myspace” so there may be ulterior motives hidden in the accusatory allegations.

Whether these accusations can be considered serious or not, the New York Times had already reported that Facbook vows to fix  this flaw in data protection. In a statement, "Facebook said that while it would be a challenge to do so, it planned to introduce "new technical systems that will dramatically limit the sharing of users IDs," and would continue to enforce its policies..."

The truth about how much of our personal information is shared between websites that we are unaware of, is not entirely clear. The details we share on Facebook with our friends and peers that appear to be secure and private, seems to leak to various third parties online, such as advertising sites and tracking companies. However, the tendency for information to be passed around on the web is also an issue with search engines and e-mail accounts. It isn’t surprising that this may cause many people to worry and be concerned about their privacy and personal information and therefore be reluctant to use sites that cannot be trusted.  Nevertheless, this trend of sharing information can also be seen as a positive and useful movement. Maybe, having certain websites categorize, personalize and customize our searches and features can be convenient and favorable. It is important to keep in mind that there are businesses and enterprises out there that can use our personal information and help manage our interests and preferences.

Social Bookmarking Soulmate

My “Social Bookmarking Soulmate”:  Jennifer M. Jones.
(http://www.citeulike.org/user/jennifermjones)

According to Jennifer Jones’s profile on citeulike.com, she is a PhD student in the department of Media and Communications at the university of Leicester in England. Jennifer’s bookmarking topics include tags such as: media, technologies, social, twitter, education, culture, and control. She currently has fourteen articles in her library, all related to social media and cyber communities. Although Jennifer’s bookmarked- articles and tags are organized and relevant, she doesn’t add personal comments or has a great variety in her library. 

I found an interesting link to a study through Jennifer Jones’s profile, that was published in 2009 by Neil Selwyn in the Learning, Media and Technology Journal called “Faceworking: Exploring Students’ Education-Related Use of Facebook”. This research was conducted in a UK university and analyzed the relationship between students’ activity on the social-networking site, Facebook, and their engagement with traditional educational activities. The results of the study concluded that despite the criticism and common fear that social networking compromises learning in school, a significant number of students claimed that Facebook plays an important role in their self-identification as students, as well as it appears to provide a ready space where studying and learning can be shared between students. 

Another interesting link I found through Jennifer’s profile connected me to a book about how technology affects society called “Virtual Culture: Identity and Communication in Cybersociety”. This book is a collection of essays that discuss issues associated with virtual cultures that participate in “cyberhate”; a term used to describe offensive and hateful discourse that occurs online. The book discusses the negative effects of “cyberhate” on issues such as: homosexuality, religion and race. In addition, the authors also consider the new useful and productive opportunities that the internet offers, such as worldwide communication, and international awareness for social and political change. Even though this book was written in 1997 and many adjustments have changed the internet since then, I found it very alarming that “cyberhate” remains to be a serious existing problem that hasn’t been resolved or fixed to this day.  

Jennifer Jones’s profile and library of articles could be useful and helpful for anyone who is interested in the effects of social media and technology on society and important social issues. Her collection of sources include both current studies as well as other academic works that dates farther back. Overall, Jennifer accumulated an interesting selection of links to different studies, articles and research. 

Comments

These are two examples of comments I left on two social media websites. 

1. http://www.pammarketingnut.com/2010/09/your-facebook-status-i-dont-care-what-you-had-for-lunch-or-do-i/

While the Facebook statistics are staggering at first glance, they slowly start to make sense when I evaluate how much time I tend to spend on the site everyday. Having said that, I am not one of those users who share personal information at all, and I think it’s pathetic when people share every minute of their lives with the entire world. I believe that when it comes to Facebook, there are two types of people:  the self-centered narcissitics and the secret snoopy individuals who spend their time reading about other people’s lives. The two groups are co-dependent and that’s why the Facebook community works so well for so many people. As for myself, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. While I find myself lured to the site on a daily basis, I also find myself complain about the information that my other friends post on there. I tried to deactivate my account countless times, but the temptation and curiosity are sometimes too much to resist. 

2. http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/01/twitter-promoted-trends/

This new step forward of moving “promoted trends” to the top of the list on Twitter only seems logical and inevitable. It was only a matter a time before twitter’s popularity will become so noticeable that people will start using it for their own purposes and try to make it a profit out of it. I remember when I first heard about Twitter it was considered rather pointless and a cheap exploitation of the ever-so popular Facebook, at the time. Now, with million of people and companies all “tweeting” for about their lives or products, why shouldn’t they use Twitter to benefit themselves. It’s understandable and acceptable that twitter along with many other social media websites will become a promotional tactic and a marketing strategy for those who can afford to promote their ads on the site. Whether it be, movies, TV shows, or other products, Twitter offers people and companies the opportunity to advertise their commodities as a “Promoted Trend” that will surely get noticed.