The real ‘Facestalker’?

One criticism of the digital age is that it decreases face-to-face contact between real human beings.  As the story goes, an increase in texts, instant messages and wall posts has put the world at our fingers but has made our understanding of it tragically shallower.

Most of us no longer read investigative stories or novel-length works. Even for substantial issues, we refuse to invest enough of our time to get to the root of the matter.

But what these criticisms fail to include is the way Facebook has added an extra dimension to our lives. Where students might once have wallowed in their lonely misery, Facebook allows them to log into a virtual world of profile pictures, “Facestalking” and lists of individuals’ interests. 

Some of the appeal of passing innumerable hours on the Web site must be the alternative reality it creates. Online, the pressure to talk to the people you “see” dissipates, and the opportunity to chat with that longtime crush, without the awkwardness of meeting in person, presents itself.

But at its heart, your Facebook account is you. It isn’t just a place where you post head shots or resumes in the hope of getting a job interview callback. 

No, Facebook is where we go to create a digital extension of ourselves. We add pictures that candidly strip back the professional pretentiousness we put on in the classroom. Our profiles reveal our interests and create a digital diary of our daily lives. Facebook gives us a forum in which we can conduct real conversations with our friends.

Some people have been creating online records with Facebook for years. That’s why a recent suspicion that Facebook’s terms of use now give the site ownership rights to all the information you deposit is so frightful.

Facebook deleted this portion of its agreement: “You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.”

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg attempted to counter these suspicions with a reassurance that Facebook’s philosophy – that users own their own information – remains unchanged.

We hope he’s sincere. And we hope that our online selves always remain in the control of those who create them.