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After ripping Twitter a new one, it's time to move on to our second, and also probably last entry here, Facebook. Actually, I didn't think I would find as many things wrong with it as I did, but here they are.
1. User registration forces real names
This is the cornerstone of all of Facebook's privacy concerns and where it all starts. As said in my last article on Twitter, if one de-anonymizes themselves, anything they say now is linked directly to their identity, which means that such people can be easily targeted in real life, whether for advertising, location tracking, or hate mobs.
2. The Facebook app spies on your phone
This isn't a conspiracy theory. While it is true that you can set a bunch of privacy settings in the app, it's pretty unknown now just how much it actually helps, and given Facebook's absolutely atrocious record of privacy breaches, both unintentional and otherwise, it's very likely that for the most part, the privacy settings are just a placebo.
3. Information collected by Facebook can easily be acquired by the government
Also not a conspiracy theory. This obviously includes both information you gave permission to Facebook to have, and information that was harvested without your knowledge and/or permission.
4. Easiness of getting doxed/employers finding out your private history
Generally, anyone that has been friended can see where you've been, what you've been up to, where you live, where you work, who you talk to, and even probably that cringey rock band you like.
5. News feeds are being influenced
It's unclear though exactly what kind of agenda Facebook wants pushed. Perhaps the news feeds are influenced simply according to the highest bidder. Regardless though, the whole system is highly suspect to say the very least.
6. Puts you in almost neverending contact with many people
Finally coming now to the actual user-to-user interactions, by putting you into constant contact with so many people, it will almost always create friction between you and a few people, or maybe even a lot. You are getting ceaselessly exposed to someone's thoughts and beliefs, whether or not you agree with them or even want them. But it gets worse too since often, the disagreements are public and people don't want to admit that they are wrong in a public forum, and this creates even more friction.
7. Higher potential for addiction
Although technically there is a potential for this for any site you love in particular, Facebook just seems to be particularly bad due to the much more personal aspect of it. We want and crave validation, and Facebook tends to give us that validation easily. Further, people tend to wonder where you are if you're not checking in to the app often enough, which creates a bit more pressure for you to use it.
8. Friending/unfriending causes unnecessary drama
Pretty much speaks for itself. And damn, I swear this must be the #1 cause of drama on the platform.
9. Constantly seeing people at their best invites comparison
As you use the platform, you begin to see more and more of people's lives naturally, but of course, no one generally wants to post about any of the negative stuff that is happening to them. Mistakes they made. IRL conflicts with friends, family, and romantic partners. Lost career opportunities. It's all a constant flow of seemingly amazing things happening to them and because of them which makes you look down on your own life.
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Now here's an interesting question. If MySpace had actually survived, would they have fallen to these same issues? I'd say most likely, even if MySpace may have had slightly better features.
1. User registration forces real names
This is the cornerstone of all of Facebook's privacy concerns and where it all starts. As said in my last article on Twitter, if one de-anonymizes themselves, anything they say now is linked directly to their identity, which means that such people can be easily targeted in real life, whether for advertising, location tracking, or hate mobs.
2. The Facebook app spies on your phone
This isn't a conspiracy theory. While it is true that you can set a bunch of privacy settings in the app, it's pretty unknown now just how much it actually helps, and given Facebook's absolutely atrocious record of privacy breaches, both unintentional and otherwise, it's very likely that for the most part, the privacy settings are just a placebo.
3. Information collected by Facebook can easily be acquired by the government
Also not a conspiracy theory. This obviously includes both information you gave permission to Facebook to have, and information that was harvested without your knowledge and/or permission.
4. Easiness of getting doxed/employers finding out your private history
Generally, anyone that has been friended can see where you've been, what you've been up to, where you live, where you work, who you talk to, and even probably that cringey rock band you like.
5. News feeds are being influenced
It's unclear though exactly what kind of agenda Facebook wants pushed. Perhaps the news feeds are influenced simply according to the highest bidder. Regardless though, the whole system is highly suspect to say the very least.
6. Puts you in almost neverending contact with many people
Finally coming now to the actual user-to-user interactions, by putting you into constant contact with so many people, it will almost always create friction between you and a few people, or maybe even a lot. You are getting ceaselessly exposed to someone's thoughts and beliefs, whether or not you agree with them or even want them. But it gets worse too since often, the disagreements are public and people don't want to admit that they are wrong in a public forum, and this creates even more friction.
7. Higher potential for addiction
Although technically there is a potential for this for any site you love in particular, Facebook just seems to be particularly bad due to the much more personal aspect of it. We want and crave validation, and Facebook tends to give us that validation easily. Further, people tend to wonder where you are if you're not checking in to the app often enough, which creates a bit more pressure for you to use it.
8. Friending/unfriending causes unnecessary drama
Pretty much speaks for itself. And damn, I swear this must be the #1 cause of drama on the platform.
9. Constantly seeing people at their best invites comparison
As you use the platform, you begin to see more and more of people's lives naturally, but of course, no one generally wants to post about any of the negative stuff that is happening to them. Mistakes they made. IRL conflicts with friends, family, and romantic partners. Lost career opportunities. It's all a constant flow of seemingly amazing things happening to them and because of them which makes you look down on your own life.
-
Now here's an interesting question. If MySpace had actually survived, would they have fallen to these same issues? I'd say most likely, even if MySpace may have had slightly better features.
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