The Web Underclass?

[skorpionuk]

Whenever I read about what companies like Facebook are up to (today, it was via the Guardian), I think that I don't really want to give away my data that easily, and then I have another go at weaning myself off social media. As the author says, "as with smoking, it's easier to not start using the social web than to stop": I do worry that I'll miss

Comments

[skorpionuk]

They are such different things, LJ and FB, though: apart from the length of update you can make (and there are things that work better as short snippets, and things that are best in longer posts), the thing that social networks do really well is providing a very easy way of sharing links. You can do it here too, of course, but I find that if I just want to drop a quick song to whoever's around, I choose Twitter, FB or G+.

But yeah, it isn't surprising, you're right.

[skorpionuk]

I think we spoke about this briefly - it's a topic I've been mulling over, anyway, without reaching a good solution.

[serina_ds]

I totally with you there - my communications have adjusted itself to the surfeit of available online social interactions too. One of the first things I open up is G+ (with the SG+ extension which means I can crosspost to FB). I pop into LJ every day. I start to feel isolated if my internet access is cut off. My text usage is around 600 a month but I have huge trouble even getting close to my 250min call allowance.

I really don't know what the answer to all this is. For your friends to connect the dots in your life is also to allow whatever site you're using to do the same...

[skorpionuk]

Very good point, that.

I seem to have been debating this all day over on Twitter and G+. Still no definite answer.

[philipstorry]

I'm haning out at G+ mostly because few people are. I like it there, and if it gets too busy it's easy to filter with circles. ;-)

It's now my "primary" social network - what I check first. Most of my friends are still using Facebook or Twitter, but I've never been a heavy user of that except when wasting time...

And I occasionally, log on to LJ, or drop by Mono.

I did have a little concern about missing things in people's lives. But then I realised that I might have something to talk about when I meet people, rather than having been informed of their every bowel movement or errant thought...

As to who owns the data - I trust LJ/Facebook/Twitter less than I trust Google, oddly. It's lots of little things, but Google seems more concerned about it than they are...

[ext_1120671]

Politically and socially speaking, I much prefer twitter as they don't have any ugly "true name" policy and so they win the nymwars in my mind... But then most of my family (I'm from oz) are on Facebook and it's so useful to keep in touch that way that it's hard to break away. I think it's worth temporarily shutting the account from time to time... to spend a week with my FB account closed really helps me get things in perspective a bit.

One thing though, the spying fed class sure have their jobs made much easier by a site like Facebook. Easily know where the population is, and who is friends with who. I don't have anything to hide but still, I don't trust the people in power and I don't like them having such easy access to information about me.

Best wishes from Seani Fool x