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No, not quite. I publish things on Facebook, et al when I want them to be public. It's the equivalent of a bulletin board for me. When I want something to be

No, not quite. I publish things on Facebook, et al when I want them to be public. It's the equivalent of a bulletin board for me. When I want something to be between myself and a specific person or group of people, I make a phone call or email. Obviously it's not as restrictive as saying something in person, as you might for something truly private. But there are degrees. The only way to keep something truly private is not to tell anyone but it's not fair to equate a private conversation with a public broadcast, just because you sometimes use the public broadcast.

wahsd 11y ago
You are clearly not a primary user. I'm not sure why you would think your example would be relevant. The vast majority of people post a lot of stuff and even more do not know how to prevent Facebook from tracking their movements across the internet and in real life. We used to think stalkers and state level corporate hegemons tailing people was something that dictatorships and authoritarian regimes did. Wait a minute. Maybe that hasn't changed.
- marcusgarvey 11y ago
  >The only way to deal with an unjust world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. -Camus I look at what younger people share online and am routinely shocked at their willingness to open the kimono. But maybe if we all overshared, everywhere, all the time, these fascists would have 0 power.
  - soylentcola 11y ago
    It is quite surprising that some people really haven't caught on yet. I look back at some of the things I posted on superficially private forums in the late 90's that in retrospect, I'd never post today. I don't excuse my naivete but still, I think a lot of people (both young and old) hadn't quite wrapped their heads around the capacity for indexing and preservation of all that data. Sure, you didn't want your stuff showing up in a search engine but hey, you used a screen name! Regardless, however misguided my ignorance may have been in 1998, I seriously don't understand how anyone would be OK posting things that could easily be incriminating (photos of their stash, videos of drunken behavior) on sites as public as Facebook. As you mention with your quote, maybe it's a reaction to the idea that you'll never be able to curate the sober and responsible "persona" you'd like without unrealistic levels of precaution. So rather than spend your youth in constant fear and anxiety that someone will see your drunk pics, there's something liberating about just admitting that we're all human and many of us have our "responsible life" and our moments of cutting loose. Still boggles my mind when people post blatantly illegal activity on Twitter or Facebook though. But other than that, I try to keep a balance. When I'm out drinking with friends, any photos or videos that get taken do not go on Facebook and if they are shared at all, it's only with the people who were involved and only via less public channels. And if the behavior in question is more potentially objectionable than some drunk karaoke, the cameras stay away.

wahsd 11y ago

You are clearly not a primary user. I'm not sure why you would think your example would be relevant. The vast majority of people post a lot of stuff and even more do not know how to prevent Facebook from tracking their movements across the internet and in real life. We used to think stalkers and state level corporate hegemons tailing people was something that dictatorships and authoritarian regimes did. Wait a minute. Maybe that hasn't changed.

marcusgarvey 11y ago
>The only way to deal with an unjust world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. -Camus I look at what younger people share online and am routinely shocked at their willingness to open the kimono. But maybe if we all overshared, everywhere, all the time, these fascists would have 0 power.
- soylentcola 11y ago
  It is quite surprising that some people really haven't caught on yet. I look back at some of the things I posted on superficially private forums in the late 90's that in retrospect, I'd never post today. I don't excuse my naivete but still, I think a lot of people (both young and old) hadn't quite wrapped their heads around the capacity for indexing and preservation of all that data. Sure, you didn't want your stuff showing up in a search engine but hey, you used a screen name! Regardless, however misguided my ignorance may have been in 1998, I seriously don't understand how anyone would be OK posting things that could easily be incriminating (photos of their stash, videos of drunken behavior) on sites as public as Facebook. As you mention with your quote, maybe it's a reaction to the idea that you'll never be able to curate the sober and responsible "persona" you'd like without unrealistic levels of precaution. So rather than spend your youth in constant fear and anxiety that someone will see your drunk pics, there's something liberating about just admitting that we're all human and many of us have our "responsible life" and our moments of cutting loose. Still boggles my mind when people post blatantly illegal activity on Twitter or Facebook though. But other than that, I try to keep a balance. When I'm out drinking with friends, any photos or videos that get taken do not go on Facebook and if they are shared at all, it's only with the people who were involved and only via less public channels. And if the behavior in question is more potentially objectionable than some drunk karaoke, the cameras stay away.