The growing problem of Facebook

By Katherine Tolentino

The other day on Facebook I noticed a new kind of "activity story" on my wall that I hadn't seen before:

"Kath and ‘So-and-So' are now friends after both attending ‘Event Name.'"

This horrified me. Why is it such a big deal, you might wonder? Let me explain: as it is structured, the sentence implies that this girl and I met at the specified event (an open-mic night), formed a connection, and wanted to keep that connection alive by linking our profiles on Facebook.

But this course of events which Facebook suggests is nothing like what actually happened.

In reality, I didn't even attend the open-mic night. My "Yes" RSVP was one of those "Yes-but-actually-Maybe" RSVPs that Facebook users tend to make all the time as a result of being invited to some 50-odd events daily thanks to the social, social, social world that Facebook prides itself on fostering.

The girl and I randomly met through an entirely different avenue that night. We talked for a little bit, and, in all honesty, probably won't speak to each other again outside of chance meetings in the future.

But here Facebook is presuming (or if not presuming, at least suggesting) that this new friendship blossomed out of a positive first impression at this open mic night, and they're publishing this presumption on all of our friends' news feeds as if it were truth!

My problem is not that my friends might mistakenly think that this girl and I met at the open-mic night. My problem is with Facebook's totally unnecessary manipulation of my personal data. This manipulation results in a presentation of my identity far different than what I would intend or than what I have tried to present.

What's next? "Kath Tolentino and So-and-So both attended an event, then became friends, then both attended another event and are probably dating, given this photo of So-and-So kissing Katherine on the cheek, which was posted and tagged two weeks ago"? Given the way Facebook is testing the waters now, such a future is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Just imagine what could happen if Facebook started using our information against us like that.

You might argue, "But Katherine… You did RSVP to that event, and you did friend that girl. Facebook isn't saying outright that one led to the next, they are merely presenting both of those facts together in the same sentence." My counter to this is: words are powerful. Anybody reading what Facebook has published on my wall would assume something about me that isn't true, because of the way Facebook is presenting my information. And that's a truly irresponsible way for a social networking site, whose main priority should be to provide a platform for users to self-craft their online identities, to behave.

You might also argue, "Well, if you're so worried about Facebook stealing/manipulating/selling off/incorrectly framing your personal details, just don't share your personal details with Facebook. Just don't RSVP to events you don't plan to attend. Just don't befriend people that you didn't actually have a genuine connection with." I get this all the time from people.

"Oh yeah, I just lie about my hometown"

or

"I just know not to put my phone number on my profile"

or

"I just don't use my real name"

And so on and so forth.

My response to this: It's a social networking site. We shouldn't have to lie about our personal information in order to protect ourselves from the service itself.

Not all Facebook users have the luxury of understanding how Facebook works, or of knowing to lie about themselves on Facebook, or of using Facebook in the same way that the recent-college-grad/dropouts, upper-class hipster engineers who work there do.

This tremendous variation in the way users use the service makes it all the more important for Facebook to avoid irresponsible behavior like putting words in their patrons' mouths.

It is frightening to me how much power Facebook has gained over these past few years, and with such a small contingent of users raising their voices in protest, their prominence does not seem likely to change.  And by protest I am, of course, excluding those pointless groups of millions of people who urge Facebook to "GO BACK TO THE OLD LAYOUT DIS 1 SUX."

Regardless of how social and connected it makes us all feel, we have willingly signed our lives away to Facebook without realizing just how much power they have, and how irresponsibly they have been wielding/could potentially wield it.

It makes me want not only to delete my profile all over again, but also to actively encourage others to do the same. This is dangerous territory, and Facebook does not seem to realize the potential impact of its actions.

Katherine Tolentino is a senior English major.