Directions that the discussion on this topic has taken is to examine the role that online activities play in social change, the influence that users may have over their friends, and the silencing or strengthening of those in oppositions among others. Out of curiosity, I decided to go to my friends list and see who had decided to openly express their support. What I noticed was that a number of folks that I know are strong supporters didn't change their photos. The ideas that ran through my head were: perhaps they don't like to discuss politics on social media, maybe they just don't sign on often or finally, perhaps they don't want Facebook to know how they feel about gay marriage.
Recently, I've learned that there has been discussion about whether or not Facebook used this tool to track members. I found a bunch of articles published on the topic such as this one from the Atlantic.com. What I found particularly interesting was that sites such as Gizmodo contacted Facebook about their tracking through the Celebrate Pride feature and they received an official response from Facebook which I've copied below (from http://gizmodo.com/facebook-is-probably-tracking-all-those-rainbow-profile-1714635163) along with a portion of their commentary.
We all *should* know by now that our online actions are public to a greater or lesser extent and can be tracked presently or in the future. As someone keenly aware of this, I still found myself having to make a choice. Engage and publish on some topics that I might rather not have completely public, or miss out on online interaction with these. However, I see this as a range of behavior, in which I gauge and draw limits with different types of behaviors. How many of my friends decided not to change their profiles specifically because they assumed that this behavior would be tracked, recorded and could be used in a number of ways both now and in the future. I believe that the key question to be asked isn't whether or not Facebook (or other sources) is actually tracking this behavior but rather how does this possibility effect users' behavior?
After reading your post, it reminds me of the struggle of self-censorship most of us find ourselves when we are publishing our work on the internet. How honest should you be when talking to your audience? What should you 'like' or reply to and how does that affect your online identity? When I use Facebook I have to ask myself the same questions right before I post or like a comment. The first question I ask myself before I commit to an action is "Am I okay with Facebook using this information"? The next questions is, "If I commit this action, am I okay with how it reflects on my identity?".
ReplyDeleteI have come to terms with the idea that Web 2.0 tools have these types of tracking elements built into them and now when I post, I self-censor to make sure that what I do is something I want everyone to know about.
These are exactly the same questions I ask myself! Thanks for the comments!
DeleteFirst, I just want to say that you're an excellent writer! I feel like my blog posts ramble on and I'm too impatient to spend time crafting a good entry. Yours reads very nicely.
ReplyDeleteAs for this Facebook situation - I am still undecided how I feel about being tracked. On one hand, we live in an economy based on ads and marketing. If people are going to market stuff to me, I suppose it might as well be things I'm interested in. On the other hand, it does creep me out a little to search for something on Amazon and within five minutes see an ad for that item on my Facebook feed.
There is also the issue that tracking isn't always accurate. For instance, just because someone used the rainbow filter on their profile picture doesn't mean they are part of the LGBT community. Ads aimed at the LGBT community may be wasted money on those people. Similarly, just because I look at gifts for my dad on Amazon doesn't mean that I'm a male interested in watches.
It's a big topic that deserves being looked at from many angles! I'll need to do more research before I fully decide how I feel.
I was surprised at how great it felt to hear that I'm a good writer. Deep in the depths of grad school at this point, I started to feel like my "everyday" writing was suffering due to the amount of academic writing that I've been doing. Thanks for the confidence boost!
DeleteWe are always being tracked. Not just on Facebook, but on everything we do online and with our phones. Anybody who is afraid of being tracked should just smash their phone and go live in the rooms (and even that might not be enough).
ReplyDeleteBut you know what? I'm totally okay with that. Yeah, it is going to be used for advertisements, but it could also be used for the public good. For instance, there are people using social media data mining to identify people at risk of suicide (http://durkheimproject.org/). When we accept tracking, we get a lot of cool stuff.
As for the rainbow profile pictures, I would like to point out that some people didn't do it because they just didn't want to (I'm in this camp). I'm a strong equality supporter and do not fear Facebook's tracking, but I didn't feel that I would be accomplishing anything.
I totally agree with both of your points. Data analysis of social networks can really provide new insights into social interactions that I think would benefit everyone as a whole. How this is done is more of an ethical question rather than a characteristic of the tool itself.
DeleteMoreover, I'm with you on the rainbow profile phenomenon that occurred recently on Facebook. I'm about as far left as you can go, equality is something that I definitely support. However, Facebook activism is laughable to me.
That whole situation, where everyone all of the sudden takes credit for the supreme court ruling, is the epitome of slactivism. Actually, there's another great blog post that discusses the dilemma with far more detail... check it out if you're bored.
http://bigthink.com/praxis/facebook-is-fraying-not-saving-the-world
I also do not mind Facebook use tools to track my activities, because when I post somethings on Facebook I psychologically prepare for that. If you do not want to, just not post.
ReplyDeleteAnd using rainbow profiles is merely one way to show someone's standpoint about equality.
This week I heard about this app on Facebook that tracks and shows you who has unfriended you over time. Has anyone else heard of this?
ReplyDeleteThis week I heard about this app on Facebook that tracks and shows you who has unfriended you over time. Has anyone else heard of this?
ReplyDeleteIt is always so interesting to see something I was browsing for pop up on my news feed (and by interesting, I really mean annoying, but I digress), but I also think it is a good reminder to folks that believe the information they put out into the web world isn't being tracked - because it is all connected to us and who we are.
ReplyDeleteWe know, for example, that Facebook tracked how many people used the filter, and tracks hundreds of other things, and now recently, is trying to be like Venmo and allow you to send money via Messager... another fantastic reason Facebook doesn't have my credit card information!
On the flip side of that, I'm an ally and social justice educator and many of my colleagues and I didn't change our profile photos while posting information and excitement for a host of other reasons. But at the end of the day, Facebook is free, and someone needs to pay for it, so I can't imagine there isn't a logarithm somewhere, particularly as we head into a contentious and divided presidential election!
I think that privacy concerns are real and that each of us, being informed has the responsibility to make the decisions that are best for us. I enjoyed seeing all of the various perspectives on this topic! Thanks guys!
ReplyDeleteI think that privacy concerns are real and that each of us, being informed has the responsibility to make the decisions that are best for us. I enjoyed seeing all of the various perspectives on this topic! Thanks guys!
ReplyDelete