Here's one trend forecast I've gotten wrong three years running. But now I'll ask this again: is it time for people to faceoff?
Thinking back to the mid-'90s when we were all still wearing our internet training wheels, we got some quick, back-of-the-envelope instructions about the do's and dont's to be safer in cyberspace: keep things to a minimum, don't openly share your phone number, keep travel plans secure, keep financial transactions very secure, and don't ever, ever place photos of your kids on the 'net.
So, what have we been up to lately? We've been giving every HR manager, burglar, and pedophile a fantastic head start in life. They know who you are well before you walk in the door, or before they walk in your door. They know your home layout, where the new LED TV is, and how much you had to drink the night before.
A few weeks back, one Facebook friend of mine posted info about an upcoming trip to Hawaii. The dates were the set, the tickets were in hand. There were geo-coded pictures of them getting in the taxi, boarding the plane at the airport, arriving at their fancy hotel. Two weeks in paradise. The only missing info was where to find the spare key to the garage, and the alarm code.
A very entertaining website entitled "Please Rob Me" tried to get the message across several years ago. The site compiled open feeds from social networks to create an efficient list of out-of-towners. Unfortunately, from what I see, the message hasn't gotten across.
All this info we share is non-biodegradable. You might think it is, and that's smooth trick. It's out there for good, and could cost you a job interview, or a lot, lot more. It's time for the I.V. dopamine trigger we call social networking to come face-to-face with reason.
Now if you excuse me, I'll be out of town for the next two weeks. (And to my kind friend who volunteered to water my plants while I'm gone, I left the key under the doormat.)
Thanks to Facebook friend R.M. for sharing this video.
1 comment:
Facebook is very hard to understand for almost anyone. It works in ways that don't have any analogy in the physical world. And we people are hard-wired to understand physical world. But not virtual. I have some friends who like Facebook a lot. And some other friends who don't like Facebook at all.
Those that like Facebook seem to enjoy a feeling of intimacy, and the multiple interpersonal encounters. Even if they are aware that in some ways saying things in Facebook is like giving a public speech, they don't think it in that way.
For those of my friends that don't like Facebook, it is all about giving public speeches, and they have a hard time appreciating, why people announce the kind of stuff that Facebook is full of.
Most of status updates & other stuff that people put to Facebook are very spontaneous acts of communication. Little deliberation goes into it. And it is likely to be that way, also going forward.
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