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I just read an article by Mashable’s CEO Peter Cashmore on CNN announcing the new Facebook. Cashmore refers to the update as “the new Facebook” as it is exactly that; a totally new evolution in the social media site.
The change is described by Cashmore as follows: “Your Facebook profile will go from having one central column to two, with boxes of text, photos, videos and even maps of your favorite locations. Rather than just displaying your most recent activities, your profile will become a scrapbook documenting your entire life, all the way back to your birth. Facebook will become a record of your existence: All your memories, your victories and your defeats, your loves, your losses and everything in between.”
As far as social media technology goes, it’s no small feat. It is, as the article describes, “a marvel of computer programming: An algorithm that comes eerily close to emulating human memory.” But as always, the issue of privacy comes in to question, which interestingly enough neither Peter Cashmore or Mark Zuckerberg bring up. In the video clip of Zuckerberg’s announcement, Zuckerberg talks about how the new Facebook enhances our connections to people, books, movies, etc. But with such a transparent model, can anyone on my list peer into my most private life? If I have my life’s scrapbook on Facebook, I would like to control who sees what.
The privacy concern does not stem from paranoia, rather, it is a right. As our Facebook lists have grown to include acquaintances,colleagues, and family members, privacy control becomes even more essential. I guess we will have to wait and see if the new privacy filters will ensure that we still have control over our Facebook pages.