Before it became an American icon, it was simply an idea. Having turned down a job from Microsoft and AOL, Mark Zuckerberg went to Harvard — and he developed a social network that would define a generation.
Facebook was nothing more than an online college yearbook, a medium through which students and alumni could keep in touch. Through the years, it extended itself to not only the collegiate world but all of society.
Facebook allows its users to reap the benefits of phone directories, status updates, photo albums and tons of boredom-relieving applications. Some have complained that the site is becoming a new Myspace — a place for stalkers. Others, like me, argue that it is harmless. One particular update to the way users can get rid of their information has led to an intense online debate.
The new downloads feature allows disgruntled users to walk away forever, packing all their previous history as a zip file on a hard drive. This change makes personal information more secure than before. The countering paranoia stems from the idea that a user’s personal information will still remain on the website long after an account is deleted.
If anything, a Facebook user should not post incriminating or embarrassing information. One also shouldn’t add shady people. If you aren’t friends with that random girl who posted a picture of you passed out drunk at last night’s frat party, you’re out of luck. Your friends and parents might see the pictures before you do. The logical solution is you shouldn’t have gotten so smashed if you knew you’d regret it later.
The “Downloads” update has done two things. It made it easier (and more comfortable) to delete an account — and it’s re-raised the idea that you can’t actually control your information regardless of how hard Facebook tries to hide the thought.
“It’s our core belief that people should own and be able to control their information on Facebook,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. “We view this as a philosophical thing.”
In more philosophical terms, you are the controller of your life. Facebook indirectly takes some of that control out off your hands by giving others control of your information. Either accept that grim reality, or don’t join Facebook. The choice is yours.
Sagar Shah is a chemistry freshman and may be reached at [email protected].
