In a recent article in Fast Company it stated that Facebook now has 411 million users, which is 6% of the people in the world.
The article, which lists the countries whose citizens are signing up fastest, states that “Facebook, stuffed with personal data on each member, is becoming the world’s phone book. The implications for social change are potentially huge.” You think? It’s way more than a phone book. It has become the social depository for peoples lives and for all of us to comment on and share – and for employers and others to review and judge.
As a person who has interviewed many candidates for my department, I am one of many (if not most) employers who will view their Facebook and Linkedin pages. If Facebook were merely basic information it wouldn’t be such an issue. However, as we all know, it’s far more than that. The amount of “personal” information people are willing to share is amazing.
I find it kind of amusing that so many people are upset with the government for “tapping our phones” while at the same time these same folks are uploading and displaying an enormous amount of personal information about themselves and their families and friends. An article that came out last year in The Independent stated that “online social networking can seriously damage your life”.
I guess I am one of the few people who has a FB account but has yet to post anything. What are you willing to post on FB and do you ever consider the implications and who may have future access?
