Spectre de Brocken avec Gloire CC-by-3.0
My Facebook friends were posting about charges for using Facebook, and there other dire warnings about the way Zuckerberg would basically steal my soul. There was a curious decrease in the traffic on my news feed. To add further fuel, news articles and bloggers were divided on the modifications:
There were those who painted Mark Zuckerberg as the evil king of the web.
Guillaume Paumier / Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-3.0
Adrian Short labelled Facebook as "a grotesque abuser of its position", positing that the network collects and uses its user data in such a way that most people would have no hope of keeping abreast of its power.
http://adrianshort.co.uk/2011/09/25/its-the-end-of-the-web-as-we-know-it/Phil Bradley was similarly worried by the Facebook changes, in particular the instant tracking. Bradley's concerns centre on this feature and his fear of losing privacy, warning that "it will get a whole lot worse."
http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2011/09/facebook-taking-control.html
Finally, Judy O'Connell compares Delicious with Diigo and Pinboard, noting that whilst Delicious enjoyed the title of "best social bookmarking website", the changes are "a bitter disappoinment". Since Delicious is a site used by many librarians I know and work with, this all came as quite a shock.
http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/social-bookmarking-not-so-delicious-anymore/
Being a Social Networking "Newbie", these changes were somewhat unsettling. I have just spent a few months getting accustomed to these tools, and already, I'm having to re-educate myself, ensuring I understand the implications of the change. I was annoyed as well as concerned.
However, I calmed down and then considered my position as both student and evolving librarian. Where was the balance?
Aayush Arya appeared to swim against the tide of Zuckerberg criticism, reminding us that what we share is both within our control and actually our responsibility.
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2011/09/26/why-i-am-not-paranoid-about-privacy-on-facebook-and-google/?awesm=tnw.to_1Azfp&utm_campaign&utm_medium=tnw.to-other&utm_source=t.co&utm_content=spreadus_master
Vadim Lavrusik can see the advantages for journalists who use Facebook to both disseminate and compile information. The Subscribe and Timeline features enable journalists to better collate newsfeeds, and Lavrusik praises the 5000 word limit on status updates.
http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/09/vadim-lavrusik-what-facebooks-latest-updates-mean-for-journalists/
How do I feel now?
I must admit, I still feel somewhat frustrated with having to sift through the hype, and also check all my Facebook privacy settings yet again. I commiserate with those who committed to Delicious and who have been using the tool for years. Personally, I preferred Diigo, and so can happily let my Delicious account go.
Despite threatening to, I have not closed my Facebook account. It is after all a free application (and always will be!) The brouhaha has simply served to make me more aware of keeping informed and also more considerate of what I may post. As an information professional, that's how I should operate anyway.
Arya, A. (2011). Why I am not paranoid about privacy on Facebook and Google. Retrieved September 28, 2011 http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2011/09/26/why-i-am-not-paranoid-about-privacy-on-facebook-and-google/?awesm=tnw.to_1Azfp&utm_campaign&utm_medium=tnw.to-other&utm_source=t.co&utm_content=spreadus_master
Bradley, P. (2011). Facebook taking control. Retrieved September 28, 2011 http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2011/09/facebook-taking-control.html
Lavrusik, V. (2011). What Facebook's latest updates mean for journalists. Retrieved September 28, 2011 http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/09/vadim-lavrusik-what-facebooks-latest-updates-mean-for-journalists/
O'Connell, J. (2011). Social bookmarking not so delicious anymore. Retrieved September 28, 2011 http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/social-bookmarking-not-so-delicious-anymore/
Short, A. (2011). It's the end of the web as we know it. Retrieved September 28, 2011 http://adrianshort.co.uk/2011/09/25/its-the-end-of-the-web-as-we-know-it/
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. It never ceases to amaze me how hype can scare so many people. It is good that you did your research and found a peace with it all.
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