Privacy and paternalism

Yesterday, Facebook announced a major facelift to sharing and privacy on the social network - with more than a dozen changes.

When Google+ was unveiled at the end of June, much fan-fair was created around the Circle's feature and the way in which it allowed users to choose exactly who would be able to see what post and when. It provided a great springboard for criticism of sharing on Facebook.

At what point did we become incapable of making decisions regarding what to share with people and what not to share?

Kathryn McConnachie, junior journalist, ITWeb

However, in a move that is most probably more reactive than proactive, Facebook now allows essentially the same functionality - and it's not hidden away either.

Various privacy controls for user profiles are now embedded on the profile page - rather than tucked away on the Privacy Settings page. As you start typing your status update, the privacy button becomes available and you can choose from a list of predefined options, or even customise it to actually single out the people who you don't want to see the post (the obvious examples being your mom or your boss).

Another update is the additional privacy settings added to tagging on Facebook. Gone are the days of logging onto Facebook to find that you've been tagged in spam, or photos that you'd prefer never see the light of day.

The tag review feature now allows you to approve content you've been tagged in before it becomes visible to anyone else. The privacy settings are also now simpler and easily accessible, with sharing options available next to individual elements, such as interests and other personal information.

The updates are certainly useful, and do close any gap that existed between Google+ and Facebook, but I can't help feeling like we are being mollycoddled with an undercurrent of paternalism seeping into our social networks.

While I understand there may be people with impaired social filters, at what point did we become incapable of making decisions regarding what to share with people and what not to share? Have we no common sense? Must we be constantly reminded that our content is on a public platform before we make complete fools of ourselves?

In the comments following Mark Zuckerberg's note regarding the latest privacy overhaul, one user wrote something that seemed to resonate with a large number of other users. She argues that since she joined Facebook, the network and her profile have become increasingly sterile and soulless, and Facebooking has gone from being fun to feeling like every keystroke is done with a parent looking over her shoulder.

I see what she means. I joined Facebook in my first year of varsity. It became the place to connect with new friends, compare notes about all-nighters spent working on assignments (or all-nighters spent at the local pub).

During my first year on Facebook I was relatively shy - I had the voice of my mother in the back of my mind constantly warning me about sharing personal details online, and horror stories of sexual predators prowling the net.

I took these warnings to heart and my first few profile pictures were of cute cartoon animals, and picking my first profile photo that actually included me in it was a big moment. I started out by sending only private messages, and only checking my page once in a while.

However, after taking those first tentative steps into unchartered social networking territory, it was like the floodgates had been opened on what I was willing to share and do on Facebook. I poked people, threw sheep at them, sent gifts, had lengthy wall-to-wall conversations with friends, was tagged in embarrassing photos (and tagged others) and even attempted to play Farmville (it was a short-lived attempt, but nevertheless).

I knew exactly who my Facebook friends were and I shared freely with them - it was essentially an extension of varsity life that existed in a safe bubble protected by the “Friends only” privacy setting.

The novelty of poking wars wore off quickly though, apps became annoying, and changes to the Facebook interface became intolerable. And it was with every subsequent change to Facebook's privacy settings and interface that I would become increasingly aware of exactly what I was sharing and who I was sharing it with.

Perhaps it was simply a natural progression, maturation or just a realisation that Facebook was bigger than just an online extension of the university experience.

The public sharpened their pitch forks numerous times when Facebook tried to force sharing of content beyond the boundaries of what we had already decided was enough for us. Each time, those of us who were actually concerned would immediately go back to our privacy settings and set about reconstructing the social walls we wanted in place. It was annoying, but it wasn't necessarily rocket science. Those who didn't care continued not to - and still don't today.

The fact remains, social networks are public platforms and should be treated as such. The tools are available (more overtly than before) to control one's sharing of content and to remind us to filter ourselves in those moments when reason goes out the window. At the end of the day, privacy is up to the user - so use it.

Related story:
Does Google+ privacy add up?