Well, there's the Papal Conclave now that distracts me a little from Facebook.
And further about Facebook:
Clicking those friendly blue "like" buttons strewn across the Web may be doing more than marking you as a fan of Coca-Cola or Lady Gaga.OMG! I am shocked, I tell ya, just shocked. Seriously, I realize that by just having a presence on Facebook, I've yielded a huge amount of privacy. Anyone who cares deeply about privacy should go away from the site and stay away.
It could out you as gay.
It might reveal how you vote.
It might even suggest that you're an unmarried introvert with a high IQ and a weakness for nicotine.
That's the conclusion of a study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers reported analyzing the likes of more than 58,000 American Facebook users to make guesses about their personalities and behavior, and even whether they drank, smoked, or did drugs.
Cambridge University researcher David Stillwell, one of the study's authors, said the results may come as a surprise.
"Your likes may be saying more about you than you realize," he said.
Some likes were more revealing than others.Who would ever have expected...? Heh heh. So y'all take care out there in the Facebook jungle.
...
Men who liked TV song-and-dance sensation "Glee" were more likely to be gay. Men who liked professional wrestling were more likely to be straight. Drinking game aficionados were generally more outgoing than, say, fans of fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett. People who preferred pop diva Jennifer Lopez usually gathered more Facebook friends than those who favored the heavy metal sound of Iron Maiden.
I will never again friend a person who is not at least a friend of a friend, someone with whom I have not one friend in common. One time was enough to teach me a lesson, and I can't remember why I chose to do so that one time, but it was a mistake.
The misuse of the term "friend" by Facebook is one reason I give it a wide berth.
ReplyDeleteFriendship is developed and earned, not given with a click of the mouse.
James, I expect you're wiser than the hordes who have signed up to the site.
DeleteMe too, James!
DeleteAs I said recently to MP (on his BLOG!), I refuse to be "Zucker-bugger'd". ;-X
That's one way of looking at it, JCF. If you hold that thought, you you are likely to persist in your determination to stay away.
DeleteI use caution even "friending" people I know (or am related to). Have turned down quite a handful. If someone is a friend of friends I usually ask them why they want to friend me before I consent. I should prefer the term "online acquaintance." I do have people I consider good friends that I only know online but they are few.
ReplyDelete"Online acquaintance" would be more accurate. I've made friends through the intertubes on sites which are not so demanding of information as FB, friends like you and James. You I've met, and James I have not.
Delete