I see by all the uproar that the masters of Facebook are
messing with us again, tweaking the format, proposing to collect all sorts of
new kinds of personal information about us that we may let slip in the course
of our social interactions. There's an old New England saying regarding this:
Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. Since Facebook is not expecting
to turn up its toes anytime soon I suggest another slogan: Mum's the
word.
We – that is, my friends and I – are on Facebook for two
reasons, chiefly: to share family pictures and stories, and to connect with
people who might do our writing (or other) careers some good. Many people in
this latter category are actual friends, that is, people we like, people we
help when we have the chance. Facebook is a handy way to keep abreast of things with all these folks, easier than email or checking blogs and web pages, way easier than
snail mail. But make no mistake: We are being watched. Statistics and personal
information are being gathered and – what's that word they like? –
monetized.
Monetized. They're turning you into money, friends. No
longer is our greatest fear the terror of having our employers see those frat
party pictures where we got hammered and took off our Abercrombie and Fitches.
Now they're – What? I don't even know! That's the horror of it! But the bottom
line is that somebody is going to make money off our stupidity, and it won't be
us. Never mind learning the clever fixes your friends are forwarding to you to
keep your Facebook posts private. Next week all that will change anyway. Just
remember two things:
If you don't want to see it on the front page of the weekly
tabloid, don't post it online.
If your thoughts are worth actual money, you probably want to save them, copyright them and sell them your own self.
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