A Young User On The Future Of Facebook
Posted by meredith on 05-17-2010
Today we continue our Youth Advisory Board series on digital identities with another post from Canadian teen Amanda Aziz on the latest blowback to Facebook policy changes and the new wave of social network alternatives. Feel free to comment below!
Will Anti-Facebook Teens Seek More Private Pastures?
With everything adults hear about teens and young adults going online to post pictures, videos and wall-to-wall conversations for all of Facebook friends to see, it might be tempting to think that privacy is not a Gen Y concern. However, after Facebook’s recent policy changes, the limits to this laissez-faire attitude may have finally been pushed. Since Facebook launched, most users have stuck it out through the site’s evolution from closed social network to public property. This time, however, with criticism, the threat of boycotts and a pack of Facebook alternatives waiting in the wings, the decision to share users’ information with third parties may be the final straw.
Sure, Facebook is the most popular social network to use right now, but so was MySpace once upon a time. And with new alternatives popping up every day, the toughest competition may be yet to come. If you think that Mark Zuckerburg and co. have nothing to fear, consider the fact that a group of NYU students have already raised money to create a new social network advertised as the “anti-Facebook.” Debuting this fall, Diaspora looks to be a social network where the individuals will have control over their personal data. And with all of the recent bad buzz, the appeal of being the one in control is a pretty strong hook. But take note, Diaspora isn’t the only alternative or “Anti-facebook” to persuade teens to move off Facebook.
A little similar to the original version of Facebook, Collegiate Nation, a site that was developed back in 2007, is one of the student-only environments looking to move in. However, while the ad-free site promises self-controlled privacy, it also comes with a price tag to make up for the missing business. In order for students to get “citizenship,” they have either have to pay the weekly, monthly or annual fees for their access to the social network site. It makes you wonder whether we’ll eventually have to pay more for better privacy privileges and control on social networks… This may be a difficult choice for college students already struggling with loans, rent and other expenses.
Then again, the currently free Facebook we all know may not have hit rock bottom yet. In a recent article on Mashable, Ben Parr cuts the company some slack and defends the controversial decisions. [Editor's Note: Ben Parr will be moderating a panel at next week's Ypulse Mashup!] Parr argues that social networks and the web were made to be public and not private so that it could bring us closer together. It reminds us that we still have a choice of privacy when using Facebook and in fact, the recent decisions were intended to make things easier for the user. Parr insists that education about privacy will solve our social network problems vs. just bashing Facebook.
Like the controversial episodes before, right now, many teens and young adults are still standing by Facebook in spite of their apparent dislike of the privacy changes. After all, it’s free, convenient and they’re already there. But that doesn’t answer whether students will stay with Facebook after Diaspora or some other unknown contender comes along. I guess we have to wait and see, at least until this fall.
About Amanda
Being a true believer in the Socratic Method (no, seriously) and a 16 year-old high school junior living in London, Ontario, Canada, Amanda believes that asking questions might just get her somewhere. Even when it comes to finding her way out of the superficial labyrinth that is known as school, she is not one who refrains from a challenge. Reading novels and asking questions are what satisfies her need to learn, and to get insight on different cultures (and pop culture!), languages (she hopes to be fluent in seven… good luck with that) to International Law/Social Justice and trends. Though she has many interests, she insists that music, hiding in the library at lunch time, volunteering, being a member of Junior Achievement, making insanely bad jokes, and wishing at 11:11 to be the “few” staples she can always rely on. Another passion of hers? Writing- whether it is songs, poetry or stories, which is why Amanda is so excited to be a member of the YAB for Ypulse. Maybe asking questions might just get her somewhere after all?
Categorized under: Web, Youth Advisory Board
May 19th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Good piece Amanda,
Indeed, it is fast and tough competitions and Facebook needs to renovate itself continuously in order to be more appealing to the young and adult users. Like hotmail and other social networks, in order to survive the technological blows they have to upgrade to the newest technology available and that needs a lot of times and money.
At least for now’ Face Book will survive the competition because of its availability and simplicity.