Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Six Reasons Why I'm Not On Facebook

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
I can understand why people would not want to be on Facebook. But this article from Wired defies credulity. Take the first reason, for example: "private companies aren't motivated by your best interests." Well, maybe not. But we can hardly expect that to be a concern of someone who is publishing an article in Wired. And once we think about it, private companies are implicated in just about everything we do, but we don't stop doing them. Or take this reason: "information you supply for one purpose will invariably be used for another." Well, another big surprise there. Again, all companies do this. We don't like it, but we don't stop doing business with them because of it. Finally, the last reason: "why should we let businesses privatize our social discourse?" Well, isn't this exactly what Wired magazine has done here? Indeed, it's basically impossible to engage in any social discourse not mediated by private enterprise - even this website runs on a service provider in Houston (and I've been very happy with them). Again - there may be excellent reasons to avoid Facebook. But these aren't them.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 23, 2024 03:11 a.m.

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