Thursday, April 12, 2018

I Knew That Already



I use Facebook more than many people do, but I do not judge those who will have nothing to do with this social networking site,  like my husband. I like to keep in touch with friends who live hundreds of miles away. I am somewhat restrictive in my criteria for accepting FB friends and I have written about that before. I usually like to at least have met the person. I have made a few exceptions. In one case the person and I grew close through blogs and the person also had a terrible illness which at least restricted travel on their part. We were probably destined never to meet in real life. In another instance, one of my close relatives was going through a difficult time and one of her colleagues asked to become my friend on FB. I accepted that just to be able to see how my close relative might be doing from another's perspective without actually discussing it! 

I know exactly how many friends I have on FB.  I keep it as close to 100 as I can.  I have very few FB friends here in my community, but I do have a few.  I am very political on FB.

I have not answered friend requests from a few co-workers that I did not become close to when we worked together or that I thought were not generally "nice" people. My judgment---my call, and I am sure others might just judge me the same way.

I have lost only one friend over the decade or so and this was a distant relative who could not stand my political postings.  He 'unfriended' me.  It was sad because he would post "photos" of the "rape" of the Ambassador in the Benghazi debacle and other questionable links.  The photos were not true and violent and fed his conservative fire, and I never pointed out that sources are essential when attempting to post facts.  I let him post what he wanted.  He was young, an ex-marine and a gun-lover.  He had lots of problems with romance in his life, lost his access to his toddler daughter due to his anger, and this was and is sad.  We had a few attempts at face-to-face conversations on his goals and direction in life, but you cannot change the spots on some leopards.  He had been a great marine, which is a structure many people need and his life stalled a little after he left.

Now to the title.  I know that the 'world' knows all of this about me.  I have taken a few of those quizzes, so they know my exercise, food, personality, travel preferences, and my habits and my spending profile.  I did not take many because I realized this data was being compiled elsewhere.  ( I was not smart enough to think about the Russians, but I did think about Pakistan and ID theft.)

I downloaded my FB archive today and it is a surprising history walk, because we do forget the intimate conversations we might have with others.  I am glad that at least others are aware of this.  Elders have less to lose in terms of information compromised, but just as much to lose in terms of ID theft.  

If you have bought anything on the Internet outside of FB, they also have your data.  I have been informed by Target, Office of Management and Budget, Experian, and some others that my data has been stolen which is more than a credit card number.  So let us all blame that shy, awkward nerd, Zuckerberg and ignore all those millionaire CEO's that are storing their money overseas while selling out data to others or at the very least being lazy in keeping it safe.

16 comments:

  1. I was fearful of FB n still don't post much, but it came down to not getting to see what my 2 great nieces born last year looked like because they are too far away to visit. An unexpected joy was finding a family of childhood neighbor friends who had relocated to CA!
    I NEVER EVER purchase online, not since my bank account was stolen! Good advice here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't worry about FB revealing anything about me as nothing I have there is that interesting. I stay away from politics there but do rarely comment on someone else's political post-- usually it doesn't end well when I do. I don't though post about my grandkids or kids there. I have added only other authors, friends, including high school friends and am cautious who I add-- they have to have mutual friends I trust. I also only let my own posts (lots of birds and scenery) go to friends. The risk I take there is when I comment on a friend's post and then anybody they allow can see what I wrote. It's not free because it's paid for by advertisers. i don't know if they start to charge if I'll stay with it. I prefer the ads paying and don't find them irritating-- usually.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They go after the easiest target, while they are doing the same and hiding it. It's one reason i don't like to get political, and when others do, i simply read and try to understand the position, whether i agree with it or not. There's no reason to be disagreeable even if i disagree, and seldom a reason to lose friends over such things.

    In the case of your relative, i am sorry he could not stay open minded and simply agree to disagree.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Look at an on-line shopping site and it comes up on the Facebook feed within minutes with friends names attached. Scary stuff. I have cut everything but the most basic friend posts from my feed. I don’t trust anything these days.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So THATS why I never got a response to my friend request! Well, okay, that and the fact that I never actually SENT one.....

    As for FB Friends, I think I have three US ones and about 8 or 10 French - plus one Italian. It always sounds weird to say that I have more foreign friends than Americans, but it's true. Not sure why.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do buy online and use FB almost daily. I guess I need to go download my FB history and see what I can do to keep myself safe. Sigh. Thanks for reminding me that I need to do this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I use Facebook much as you do, and quite a bit. I never supposed that anything I posted in a public forum would remain private. I have not checked my archive or een my privacy setting, so i guess I should. But I am not really that concerned. Am I being naive?

    Zuckerman created a product that many of us like and offered it to us for free. He sold adds. I never pay attention to the adds. I just use the product. I'm don't blame Zuckerman.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I check in with FB quite a lot but am trying hard not to get involved in the shenanigans although I do fail. My theory is that FB and the like are largely responsible for the descent from civil discourse (assuming that there was a height to descend from). There is some good political stuff, but I am referring to the misleading bumper sticker posts and the angry diatribe that follows. Hmmm ... I'm rambling and haven't quite organized my thoughts. Sorry about that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I quit Facebook and have not looked back. However, I find that my phone is stalking me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I tried to quit FB once and learned I have too many other account sign-ons linked to FB. Meanwhile, I do not post political things on my FB page or on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad I am restricted. :) I too have this tendency to politics on FB. Lately life has been bigger than politics for me. Yesterdays test shows more damage from the past: Musculoskeletal damage, a hiatal hernia, and gastritis. That caused him to do a biopsy...results in ten days. At least he let me go back in the pool again.

    I deleted all those FB aps once, but they come back at a really rapid rate. I hate the thought that folks steal our information. I can tell what they know by the ad's they offer me everywhere. Did you know a little Golden Book about a baby's first walk is $205.23. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  12. I use FB, check in daily. I'm not worried about whatever data they have on me (our own government collects data on us), I'm pretty much an open book. they can label me all they want and send all the ads they want based on their profile of me but I don't respond to ads and I'm pretty discerning when it comes to propaganda. I think it's kind of amusing that when I do an internet search for something, an ad for it will pop up on FB. that horse has already left that barn. if I was interested in buying what I was looking for I would have bought it before the ad appeared. I'm also very political on FB because right now this country is embroiled in a constitutional crises, just spreading important info as I rarely comment and don't respond to trolls, often don't even go back and read any responses to my comment. FB also keeps me in touch with the glass artist community that is spread out worldwide. So not deleting my account. and not buying anything on-line will not protect your data because businesses get hacked and info stolen from their systems.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very good conclusion.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I use F/B, accept the risk of being marked (for life?) but lead a fairly simple open life. My F/B is marked by news from the Guardian, videos on craft work, lovely one this morning on Japanese weaving for instance. I talk (by messenger to my daughter). Strict rules keep your finances off the internet, accept that Zuckerberg is a young nerd, who never thinks into the 'long view', accept the New World of the internet even though 1984 is just around the corner - but wasn't it always?

    ReplyDelete
  15. I dropped FB about two months ago, and haven't looked back. It took a tiny bit more time to unlink many apps from it, though. But I did. I have my daughters posting on IG now so I don't miss the family photos. It's all good.

    ReplyDelete

Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.