haniblog

I recently read a post that had me thinking about Facebook. Titled If It’s Too Social, You’re Too Old, the author argues that designers who ignore the site are like the businesses who ignored the Web way back when.

I’m lucky since the internet isn’t my vocation or source of income. I don’t have to grapple with the ins and outs or the direction the winds blow online. But I am interested in new internet trends if I find them exciting and can see myself using them. 

I deleted my Facebook account in August 2007 because it became less and less comfortable using it and especially when Beacon was announced. I was unhappy with what the site considered was its property and that was anything and everything I added to my profile, be it photos, links or conversations.

Aside from the legal and political issues, I was finding myself tediously updating my profile, my status and frivolously accepting more “friends”. I use Twitter for updates, Flickr for photos and Delicious for links but they don’t feel as empty as Facebook. One of the reasons for starting this blog is to consolidate all of these activities and to attempt to have ownership and control of my activities online.

So, has it changed since I deleted all traces of myself on Facebook last year? Has it become a hybrid Ebay/Amazon/iTunes/Craigslist/Twitter site? According to some sites, it has decreased in popularity with the phrase Facebook Fatigue popping up in the copy. Other reports claim that Facebook and other social sites are the biggest thing on the internet.

Then there is the more shadowy side of Facebook. Some claim that it is a massive data-mining operation by the CIA. The Guardian published an interesting and slightly alarming article on the backgrounds of the board members and the company’s business practices.

When I decided to cancel my Facebook account, I assumed there would be the standard internet “Delete My Account” button to press. There isn’t. Facebook leaves your account dormant and your information is still visible and actionable. The reasoning behind this, according to their customer support, was to enable a smooth re-activation if I change my mind. To completely delete any trace of myself I had to manually remove all applications, photos, messages and links… one by one and almost line by line. That took a while.

Facebook, therefore, is not for me.