Gizmodo recently published an editorial about the privacy issues many bloggers and tech-savvy individuals are bringing up over Facebook's terms of use. The article seems to suggest that in this day and age, Facebook is Big Brother and it's time to fall off the grid. While I agree and disagree with the article on certain points, it certainly raises the issue as to whether or not it's time to pull the plug on Facebook. For me, this would be the second time.
There's always been the issue of addiction.
Many teens can't log off Facebook without logging back on. Hell, it's not just the teens. People have been fired for being on Facebook during company time. People have lost their jobs, hurt relationships and damaged their reputations because of information they shared. While it's nice to keep in touch with friends from far off, Facebook seems to cause enough trouble to outweigh the benefits of keeping an active account.
From a consumer's point of view, I'd much rather interact with brands on Twitter where I know I'm dealing with someone who's reading my comments. It seems that being one of a million "fans" or "likers" of a brand on Facebook is almost like a sport - see who can get the most "likes." It loses touch with the real part of social media, which is building relationships. Twitter, through retweets and replies, does this. I personally have not had an encounter with Facebook in which I've communicated with a brand and gotten a response.
So the answer I pose to myself: will I keep my Facebook account open? Probably. I quit before for some time and fell out of touch with friends scattered across the company because they don't like email the way I do. But will I use Facebook to disperse my private information and feelings? Definitely not. No more liking, no more apps. DEFINITELY no Farm Ville, but I never started that in the first place.
One last thought - the media attention given to Facebook's privacy claims has raised a very good point that many social media users overlook: the Terms of Use. Do you read it all the way through? I know I never have. Maybe it's time to start...
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