Sunday, March 08, 2009

Digital Domain - When Everyone’s a Friend, Is Anything Private? - NYTimes.com

On Facebook and over-sharing

FACEBOOK does let members create customized subsets of friends. Members can selectively restrict access to some items, such as photo albums and videos. But customizing permissions for this or that, via multiple clicks, is no one’s idea of a good time.

For many members, “friends” now means a mish-mash of real friends, former friends, friends of friends, and non-friends; younger and older relatives; colleagues and, if cursed, a nosy boss or two. Everyone accepted as a “friend” gets the same access.

When the distinction blurs between one’s few close friends and the many who are not, it seems pointless to distinguish between private and public.

Digital Domain - When Everyone’s a Friend, Is Anything Private? - NYTimes.com

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