It was not long ago when we used to scrap our ways through social networking; yes I’m talking about Orkut. It only seems yesterday but it’s been 9 years since Facebook was launched and how it has been able to completely demolish the competition has been nothing short of a phenomena. There were arguments about how it was only a matter of time before some other social network would overtake Facebook but no such thing seems to be happening for the foreseeable future.
Facebook has a strong hold over close to 1/7th of the global population and except for a few comments popping up every now and then about how it is losing users in certain parts, these seem only like background chatter. Facebook still has a considerable amount of ground to capture in the developing nations and it’s moving in that direction, positioning itself more and more as a mobile company. Why? Because that is where the newer users will come from and mobile is the next era of connectivity.
So, Facebook is going hunky dory but there’s one thing that it has taught the world really well. People are not that stingy about privacy, all they need is value. In the initial days, almost a decade ago when I migrated from Orkut to Facebook, privacy was a huge concern. Facebook was looking complex and the reluctance to give away information was very high. But slowly and steadily, Facebook gnawed away and just like when you’re in a relationship, you start sharing more and more.
The things Facebook let one do, forced the user into overlooking privacy concerns and it wasn’t long before each and every detail about one’s life was out there in the open. Facebook established one fact, if you play on the right emotions, people will pick convenience over privacy. I no longer hesitate to let apps use my information from Facebook and it’s all an open secret now. Few people still hold back but at the end of the day, if you’re on the internet, you wouldn’t be able to hold on to too much.
It’s amazing how people share each and every detail of theirs online and sometimes one even wonders how the following generations would react to the pictures of their grandfathers in a completely inebriated state. It has been proved that privacy was only there to be intruded and humans, without external control, will give in if you give them something they crave for.
