What does #DeleteFacebook mean for Steem, Social Media and Society in general?
We live in a digital age where every tap swipe and click leaves a valuable digital footprint.
How much is your personal data really worth?
If you log in to a site or even just turn on your phone someone is collecting your data.
Have you rushed to complete your profile to get that extra 10% discount?
How are these companies using our data, is it really worth worrying about?
Today Facebook is worth over 450 Billion Dollars, down a bit since a few days ago but not too shabby. To put that figure in context it's about as valuable as the GDP of Poland.
Clearly shareholders see some economic value in the "free" service the company provides to its users.
Don't forget the services are free because you are the product!
Isolation and Anxiety...
In the last 15 years we have grown to rely more and more on companies like Facebook, Whatsapp, TripAdvisor, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Skype and others.
They provide valuable services to us but they have also changed (intentionally or not) the way we interact with each other.
When was the last time you dialled someone's mobile number or called in to get to know your neighbours?
Society has changed:
- We now keep in contact with our friends using online tools
- We remember birthdays and anniversaries when we get a notification
- We hear about upcoming events and concerts on our feeds
- We meet new people online
- We get our news/fake news online
Time for a Detox...
When did Technology stop making our lives easier?
A very interesting reality TV show on the BBC a few years ago recreated living and social conditions for a family from each of the decades since the war. The first episode begun with rations and very limited household amenities. As Britian progressed to the 60's, 70's, 80's and on it was interesting to see how family life embraced technology and automation only to see added responsibilities, expectations and pressures as a result.
At What Cost...
One obvious cost is that our social circles have become more distant geographically. There will be winners and losers here as it's now easier to be connected from remote locations, but for many this has led to increasing isolation.
We have all been at that family gathering where everyone have been staring at their phones instead of chatting. More interested in liking an Instagram picture of some celeb than interacting with their grandmother who was waiting all week to see hear about her grandsons latest news.
Google has mapped the world but now we are all expected to arrive at a certain time, text people if we are late, or early or just to keep them updated on our progress. I don't know about you but this creates a lot of anxiety for some me.
Did you get a double tick???
There is no doubt these "free" services are worth something to us but apart from the increased isolation, social pressures there are some more nefarious forces at work.
Identity theft
These "free" services not only get you to fill out forms with enough information to answer most of the security questions that a Bank may ask to verify your identity but they also get access to personal details which may even be enough to recreate a digital copy of you.
Your details may be safe but in a best case scenario only until one of these services gets hacked.
Manipulation
Daytime TV in affluent countries is full of adds showing starving children in Africa which you can help with just a small donation.
The cause may be genuine and there are some great humanitarian agencies that use this tactic but the add is using an effective sales tactic that is trying to guilt you into donating to the cause.
This is a blatant tactic and even though you recognise it you may still end up donating because it stopped to make you think.
Tweet Bots and Troll Factories...
With the development of AI these tactics are now being industrialised and deployed by less altruistic organisations on a global scale.
There are allegations floating around in the last few days that a company Cambridge Analytica may have helped to influence the elections in American and even the Brexit Vote by using Facebook data.
Targeted Advertising so what?
Cambridge Analytica are accused of collecting data from Facebook users and then using this data to target advertising to users to influence the results. This doesn't sound too bad or at least not that surprising until we dig a little deeper.
We all know that we get targeted advertising when we log onto most websites nowadays. The banner adds I get now are mostly about ICOs and Crypto, probably because of my search habits. I know that in the back of my mind I have given permission at some stage to let my browser or computer to target these adds at me, and in a way I like it because I am getting relevant content served up to me. It makes my time searching for holidays easier. When I book a flight somewhere I then get deals on hotels and day trips at my destination for the next month each time I am online. This is great.
Well maybe not so great....
Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix has been suspended pending investigation.
The allegations surfacing are that Cambridge Analytica collected Facebook data via an app thisisyourdigitallife from 250k Facebook users that participated in a personality test.
Webs of Trust...
What is causing the fuss is that they also collected data from up to 50m of their friends which were linked in an unsuspecting web of trust. This is the real story, how they may have subsequently used it to influence elections is not surprising but rather a reminder of the power of a tactic that has been used for centuries.
Social Media is a new and possibly the most highly effective medium to spread Propaganda of all time
I have never been on Facebook and I am careful of the sites I sign up to but at some stage you just give in and click on that link "Sign in with Google" or Facebook or TripAdvisor. It's just easier than trying to remember the login details for all these sites you visit.
When you do this your linking these services in some way to a third party and may be giving them access to all your "private" Facebook data or in the case of thisisyourdigitallife all your friends "private" data.
Deleting Facebook
If these recent revelations have disgusted or worried you, you are not alone. Yesterday a radio show in Ireland was explaining to listeners how to delete their Facebook account and there is now a campaign #deletefacebook that is gathering momentum.
You have several options to deal with Facebook and your Data
- deactivate your account
- delete your account
- remove authorised apps
Not So Fast...
For some people using the nuclear option for Facebook may lead to missing out on social interactions that have become a part of every day life in 2018. I deleted my Whats App account some years ago but it left me a social pariah in my social circles and I was missing out on activities that my "real" friends were enjoying.
Steem, an alternative to Facebook
I have been on Steem since October 2016.
Steem is a decentralised social media platform where the interactions and the core data is stored in a public open and decentralised database or Blockchain called Steem.
Steem is an evolution of Social Media as we know it. It's quite different than Facebook or the other familiar social media platforms. There is a very different dynamic.
Getting Started
There are numerous apps built for Steem. I would recommend starting with the web apps https://busy.org or https://steemit.com but as you explore this new world you will find many apps that that you can use as an alternative to your current options for streaming video, sharing photos, sharing videos ...
What do you think of Facebook, the addictive game with bad graphics?
If your on Steem already please let us know about your experience and how it compares to Facebook in the comments. Which apps do you use on a daily basis.
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Travel.
Images thanks to pixabay.com