Watching every move you make: How MySpace ushered a world with no privacy.
The former user-traffic behemoth known as MySpace dawned the underpinnings for the social media age, which morphed into the conglomerate of Facebook. From 2005 to 2008, MySpace was the heaviest trafficked social networking site in the world, collecting 75.9 million monthly visitors in its 2008 peak; but Facebook would eventually supersede MySpace’s prior predominance in 2009- with a now astronomical 2.23 billion monthly active users. (*1). Much has changed between these two eras, particularly the chief functions and audiences of the two entities. MySpace reflected primarily younger individuals, with the average age being 31- for Facebook it’s 38. Complex features that Facebook employs were absent from a more primitive MySpace, including news, pages, “find friends” feature, apps, but perhaps most notoriously- its advertising structure. Facebook currently has an advertising revenue of $9.16 billion, %20 of the digital advertising market. (*2). MySpace began the social media trend, but couldn’t adapt, as Facebook perfected the social media concept and advertising system. During the MySpace era, pseudonyms were tolerated, but Facebook encouraged using real names- installing a “find friends” feature. Thus, Facebook was themed for other friends, whereas MySpace emphasized the ‘I’. Facebook made people seem more real, personable and ‘searchable’. One must use their real name, there is a less expectation of privacy. Anyone can easily ‘intrude’ on another’s life with a click. The intrusiveness of Facebook is evident by its data storage of every action for advertising- including likes, shares, potential interests, every app- even webcam and microphone access without consent. Facebook tracks where one is, one’s contacts, one’s facial profile, emails, calendars, messages, files, photos, videos, music, call history, search history, and browsing history. (*3) The encroachment culminated in 2016, when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified to congress because data of 87 million Facebook users was unknowingly shared with advertising company Cambridge Analytica. (*4) The "privacy bill of rights" was subsequently introduced which requires the Federal Trade Commission to establish privacy protections for social media users- so clearly there is some demonstrable responsibility to ensure privacy for consumers. However, there is also a responsibility for users to be cognizant that everything one does is analyzed. For nonprofit agencies, Facebook can be tremendously positive for garnering funds. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society was able to amass $1 million dollars in March simply by disseminating information with minimal cost. The role of Facebook provided for the ability to reach the sheer amounts of people, proving to be more effective than other mediums. For the future, social media may be revolutionized yet again, but by government regulation. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that federal regulation of Facebook is "inevitable" after Cambridge Analytica’s massive privacy leak and “fake news”. A startling 44 percent of people receive their news from Facebook. The unverified stories had become predominate to other press, degrading truth and impacting society, which also prompted congress to act. Whether or not regulation emerges, it’s undeniable, that social media is intrusive to our lives in some form. One thing is certain, advertisers will continue to covet user-data.
Works Cited:
*1.) Schenker, M. “Former MySpace CEO explains why MySpace lost out to Facebook so
badly”. Digital Trends. 12 May. 2015.
*2.) Glum, J. “I Found Out Everything Facebook Knows About Me- And You Can Too”. Money.
23 Mar. 2018.
*3.) Curran, C. "Are you ready? Here is all the data Facebook and Google have on you". The
Guardian. 30 Mar. 2018.
*4.) Kirsten, K. "This Is the Personal Data that Facebook Collects—And Sometimes Sells".
Fortune. 21 Mar. 2018.
*5.) Image: https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/jennifer-cobbe/problem-isn-t-just-
cambridge-analytica-or-even-facebook-it-s-surveillance-capitali.
