Irbis wrote:Broomstick wrote:Or, better yet, just use some discretion as to what you do and don't put on line.
Where you draw the line with that?
That is something each person has to decide for themselves, with the realization that there are potential consequences for whatever that person decides.
The point is
you don't have to put everything on line. I certainly don't, even if I do put quite a bit of some topics out there. There are some things that I keep to myself.
There is nothing inherently wrong with FB, however, no matter what you do or what you believe there will be someone out there who doesn't agree and may use it against you. Even the choice NOT to use FB has consequences, as noted by JointStrikeFighter.
Sure, drunken photos are out. But what else? Would you self-censor your political views?
In order to keep a job at times yes, I HAVE self-censored my political views by simply keeping my mouth shut. I mean, hell, I lived in Chicago for 15 years and its reputation for voter fraud and influence trading is well-deserved. I have flat-out
lied when asked who I did or did not vote for in an election in order to keep my employment. More often, though, I simply
do not share that information, not with anyone. Often, not even with my spouse.
Now, should I
have to do that? Absolutely not. That sort of situation is wrong. But sometimes life is unjust and I deemed concealing my viewpoint at work to be a lesser evil than losing my job. IF I was more politically active I might have valued speaking out at work over keeping my job. My choice. When I choose, there's a limit to how much I can whine about the consequences.
People who own a FB account have control over what they put up there (the issue of others making comments being something separate). Yes, in the US you have a right to your beliefs and to speak freely - it's the fucking First Amendment after all - but you are NOT shielded from the consequences of those actions. You have a right to be a Voodoo Priest and get facial tattoos and promote plural marriage and the eating of small dogs - but you do not have a right to dictate how others feel about your beliefs. Most people know if their views are mainstream or not. Right or wrong, if you're in a minority category of something you may be judged harshly for that. Which is exactly why I think being able to have some privacy is a valuable thing. That doesn't mean others will respect your privacy, or your views.
What if one of your friends did something bad, and HR snooping finds this out? Or even didn't do anything bad, simple fact you have gay/punk/goth/whatever friends might mean you're out of the pool of candidates. Even by simple prejudice of the recruiter.
Those are societal problems that did not originate with FB. The biggest problem is that by putting everything out there FB makes it so much easier for the bigots to shit on everyone else. That sort of thing has ALWAYS been a problem. Guilt by association is disgusting but it's nothing new.
I would certainly be in favor of some sort of law that forbids employers from demanding to see your FB profile as a condition of employment. However, such a law might come with a requirement that you not mention your employer by name or in a manner to identify a specific employer as well. It cuts both ways. You can't demand protection for yourself then be free to defame or slander others. (If you have a legitimate issue with an employer there are other channels to use.)
To give one personal example, on my brief move to Wales I have befriended a black girl, leftist radical human rights activist that would be prejudiced against in my home country for about two dozen reasons, political, religious, social life, skin color, etc. - Am I supposed to clean my account of her because every single conservative republitard would rather die than tolerate her, or anyone who would do it?
Or perhaps in a more concrete manner, was it right that I used to be threatened with physical harm, and occasionally more than just threatened, at school because my oldest sister was a politically active lesbian? I am well aware of the risks here, having experienced some really awful consequences myself. Which might be why I don't let it all hang out in public.
Here's the difference: in the old days some people found out about my sister's activities and lifestyle, but I didn't carry around a banner declaring it. Putting something on FB is like renting space on a billboard - it is VERY public and unlike more limited conversations like face-to-face or a small e-mail list, EVERYONE can happen by and see it. (Unless you're maniacal about the privacy settings, but it seems few are.)
My personal opinion is that the current generation of kids haven't a fucking clue why privacy is something to be valued. This really isn't a surprise in this country (I can't speak for others) as the current crop of young adults have been under 24/7 surveillance in the name of "safety" and "security", not to mention all the family photos and videos, and cameras at school and in public places. They've
never had privacy so they don't know what they've lost. Now the older adults are all freaked out because instead of simply undressing in front of each other like we did in my generation the kids are e-mailing naked photos of themselves amongst their friends. Seems a logical extension of the the privacy-is-gone-get-over-it meme to me.
Yes, you have a right to whatever political or social views you want, or any other thought or belief. But if you insist on painting it on the side of your house or constantly talking about them to everyone there will be consequences, good or bad. The trouble is, too many people think the Magic Box on their desk or table doesn't have other people attached to it. It's a real human being on the other side of the modem. It's a LOT of real human beings on the other side of the modem.
If you don't want it public don't put it on the internet. If you DO put it on the internet realize that no matter how innocent or innocuous it seems to YOU there will be someone out there who takes offense to it.
What makes FB more insidious than, say, Stardestroyer.net, is that this forum is controlled by someone who understands not everyone wants their full identity public when speaking here, and doesn't profit from selling anyone's information. FB was founded by someone who believes no one should have anonymity and clearly has never been bullied or stalked or harassed otherwise he would have built those protections into the system from the beginning, which he did not. There is HUGE profit to be made from selling information about people.
Basically, what you say can be said as 'why you want privacy? only evildoers have something to hide!' or 'I don't care how harsh judges and law are, I'm not a criminal!'.
What I'm saying is that how much privacy you have depends in part upon you. You shouldn't assume a for-profit corporation that is giving you free space on the internet has your best interests at heart. Doesn't mean they're
evil - I don't mind certain "intrusions" if I feel the benefits outweigh the negatives. Where it gets to be a problem is, for instance, if participation in something like FB is
required in order to be employed at
any job.
Public indiscretions are nothing new in society, it's just that with FB it's so much EASIER to broadcast them. I imagine when photography first became common there was a similar problem - things that once happened and then were forgotten were now immortalized in the form of embarrassing photos. Used to be, though, that such photos had limited circulation, now with the internet a couple billion other people can see them, and you have little or no control over deleting them.
Or, to put it another way - displaying everything has consequences. NOT displaying anything
also has consequences. Nosy bigots will take your refusal to reveal all as badly as a "wrong" answer. It's not right, but it is reality. I'm all for making the world a better place, but meanwhile you have to learn when to shut the fuck up and when not to display what should be your private life. It's not the way it should be, but that is how the world is.
