Facebook

[MichaelB]

Thinking out loud, would the "alphabet agencies" be more interested in people that use Facebook under their real names or those that use pseudonym or false names? Hmmm

Also, before Facebook who knew or had access to our names, addresses, and other personal information? Telephone company & phone directory folks, credit reporting agencies, Lexus Nexus, thousands of mailing lists, every telemarketing data base in the world. Even the neighbors, peeking at us from behind the kitchen curtain.

 

[Meadbh]

Also, before Facebook who knew or had access to our names, addresses, and other personal information? Telephone company & phone directory folks, credit reporting agencies, Lexus Nexus, thousands of mailing lists, every telemarketing data base in the world. Even the neighbors, peeking at us from behind the kitchen curtain.

In Ireland the nosy neighbour phenomenon is called "the valley of the squinting windows" after a novel written in 1920:

Valley of the Squinting Windows - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although writing under a pseudonym, the author's identity and location soon became apparent, and he was run out of town......

Brinsley MacNamara « The Irish Aesthete

A recent article in The Irish Times points out that social media are the new squinting windows:

The Valley of the Squinting Windows is still with us, but now it operates on social media - Social Affairs & News from Ireland & Abroad | The Irish Times - Fri, Aug 02, 2013

 

[MichaelB]

In Ireland the nosy neighbour phenomenon is called "the valley of the squinting windows" after a novel written in 1920:

Valley of the Squinting Windows - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although writing under a pseudonym, the author's identity and location soon became apparent, and he was run out of town......

Brinsley MacNamara « The Irish Aesthete

A recent article in The Irish Times points out that social media are the new squinting windows:

The Valley of the Squinting Windows is still with us, but now it operates on social media - Social Affairs & News from Ireland & Abroad | The Irish Times - Fri, Aug 02, 2013

Our neighbors are lovely people, but even so, while getting the mail one or another will often ask why I didn't go out for my usual morning walk or some other aspect of our coming and going that shows regular monitoring. I chalk it up to "nothing better to do" and haven't yet lost any sleep over it. Enough real things to worry about, no need to add too the list.

 

[imoldernu]

I surrendered long ago...
Over the years have used dozens of usernames and always tried to de-link from my legal name... to no avail. Been on-line so long that my AOL original username was Bob3...

Best I can do is to not have any friends, or join any circles.

As simple as I am with regard to security, it's very easy to find pages of information for free, on almost anyone... just from a user name, or even an picture... or perhaps the name of a neighbor or a school, business, sport or even a newspaper article... I don't do it, except as an experiment.

So, no illusions as to security. Best defense, is in not having much that anyone would be interested in... like money.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

What's this "Facebook" everyone keeps going on about?

A coworker once told another (jokingly and purposely within earshot of me) that I'm not on social media because I would have to be social first.

 

[martyp]

My position is that they can't be bothered to call or e-mail, perhaps we don't need to stay in touch.

I understand the value of a phone call because that is a real person in real time and you can at least discern voice intonation. However, every time you pick up the phone for a telemarketer you just confirm that there is a live person at your phone number and address so you are not entirely avoiding commercial tracking.

However, I don't understand how e-mail is different or better than Facebook. It's text on a screen.

 

[martyp]

I guess the objections to FB falls into the categories of 1) I don't want to be tracked by commercial entities and 2) FB is impersonal and people don't post anything of significance (hence a waste of time).

With regard to #1, everyone on this site has been tracked all their lives by direct marketers and the government. If you are on this site you are being track every bit as much as you would be on FB. Same thing with email. Don't use credit cards, debit cards, or electronic cards of any kind. Get rid of your banks accounts. Avoid sidewalk surveillance cameras. Go off the grid . . .

What passes for communication on FB is no different than what used to be written in handwritten letters or a night of looking at family picture albums or vacation slides. What about hallway chats at work or at lunch. (Hi, Hello, How are you?) Sure, face to face is different that written communication. Nothing new there.

FB allows me to communicate with people geographically dispersed. It's sort of a hybrid between a phone call and a handwritten note. It is what it is. Why all the anxiety and animosity?

If you are a private person; like to spend time alone; don't visit or call people much; don't chit chat much; don't go out much then fine. Nothing wrong with that. You are not alone. Facebook will just be one of many possible avenues of communication you will avoid or at least moderate. The fact that it exists shouldn't upset you.

 

[Meadbh]

What martyp said.

Some people are stupid enough to put their indiscretions on social media. If this leads to poor job opportunities they have only themselves to blame.

 

[rescueme]

I use the fictitious one to log into all those news sites that use a facebook login for access.

Same here...

I don't have a "real" account; no need for it in my situation.

 

[Badger]

I finally got fed up with FB and all the time I wasted waiting for it to stop hanging up or crashing. So I closed it down. My wife can keep in touch for me on her computer.

Cheers!

 

[GrayHare]

At least old FB content from teens will be great fodder for the media decades from now when some of those people run for political office.