Annotation 3, Re-scanning the Privacy Issue in OSN Through Facebook's Structure

       On the basis it is our nature to pry over others’ private information, we can realize what Facebook policy on Facebook fits merely our preference. But to get to the bottom of this topic, we also need to Facebook business structure as well as the tight connection between these theories and reality.

        How can we get to the clear appearance of the Facebook? The answer come as economists always suggest: follow the money trim: Without a doubt, Facebook is the most influential, unbeatable and affluent player in the OSN (Online Social Network) world now. But what really makes Facebook stands out upon other competitors? The most two enchanting part of the Facebook are free and no advertisement (or more in detail, no “apparent” advertisement.) Almost all the functions on Facebook, including media uploading, accessories, but except promotion, charge users for no fee. Moreover, and also the most innovate part, once you log in your own page, you are free of the annoying propaganda, which is quite a bold design in cyber world. With no advertisements popping out for “surprise”, users tend to feel much more comfortable and confident. For many commentators, they regard these two rules as the genesis by Zuckerberg.

         After all, however, Facebook is not the charity. It is also a member in the competitive market. Under the rule of market, namely, we can’t enjoy harvest in vain. We have to pay something in return, which is the opportunity cost. Behind the user- oriented interface, in fact, Facebook tries their best to collect our personal data, then selling them to advertise company. Perhaps there is no other platform can collect such detailed, coherent and massive information of multitude as Facebook. From our daily status, personal profile and friends in Facebook and even manner of usage, Facebook can collect our preference, social network, characteristic and even more aggressive, where or when we get online. Such new method has it superiority than traditional way such as questionnaire conducted by telephone. By collecting in this relatively indirect, tender approach, responders (the users) are more delightfully to unveil their true taste, personality and needs. As a consequence, the effort is much more reliable and accurate, which is of crucial for marketing. It saves plenty of time and spending for company to introduce the adequate product for the market. Meanwhile, although it all takes place all behind the screen, such strategy brings countless profit for Facebook. Eventually, the consequence is profitable for all Facebook users, Facebook as well as sponsors.

         But how such “perfect” mode falls into the severe debate for privacy leak and even in charge of impairing human rights? In fact, the problem lies not in the subject matter but in Facebook’s manner to use it. In the paper Analyzing Facebook Privacy Setting: User Expectation V.S. Reality, the authors argue most of our settings betray our will. According to the research, there is only 37% privacy setting matching our expectation. Even after modifying the setting for the awareness of potential privacy problem, the rate merely rises to 39% ( Yabing Liu, Balachander Krishnamurthy, Krishna P. Gummadi. Allen Misslove. Analyzing Facebook Privacy Setting: User Expectation V.S. Reality. Page1, Abstract.) The huge gap gives rise to our agitation since people tend to fear for what is uncontrollable and unsighted. In fact, based on Facebook principle and policy, all the collected data is anonymous and collective. There won’t be data- collected action exclusively for any particular user. In the long run, we can realize what we really are nervous for is not data- collected action itself, but the coarse, rude way Facebook conducts in.

          Information- share online is already an established trend. In future, we will definitely share all kinds of information more massively and frequently. Data- collected from OSN will become more common in advertisement and marketing industry. Our expenditure on website will thus drop. It is unlikely for us to oppose this tendency since it do make our world better. However, one thing is for sure: Company, including Facebook, of course, should be more delicate and transparent in data collection. All in all, under no circumstance can users’ right be compromised.  

                                                                                            

Reference:

1. Yabing Liu, Balachander Krishnamurthy, Krishna P. Gummadi. Allen Misslove. (2009) Analyzing Facebook Privacy Setting: User Expectation V.S. Reality. Page1, Abstract

Reflection for Midterm Meeting

     Time flies, in a sudden shift, our project have reached half of the process. There are only two annotation left in our way. After the mid- term meeting with instructor, Professor M. Y. Liang. I have several reflections to what we have achieved and ideas to the future.

     To the presence, I think what our team should work on mostly is the authority of the data collected. It is a common issue among all the teams in our class. Most of the data we have quorate come from the blogs, Youtube, News websites or even TV program. They do provide us plenty of bold tracks in our research. But to make our thesis more concrete, persuasive and powerful, we should also take formal paper, such as international- recognized journal, as our information source. After all, we all need strong certificates to support our points. Besides, in information source, we should avoid monotony. Namely, we can derive our words from both foreign and native sources and make more comparison between them. Since everything in the world speaks dialectically, from different approach we may find much different answers. As a result, multiple resources and comparison spare us from being criticized for dogmatism.

      Moreover, we should also observe the form strictly. As a proverb goes, the key to success lies in detail. Apart from our material, we should also organize them in caution. Under no circumstance can we overlook the importance of APA code, quotation form and so on. One slight error may boil all our work. For example, no one wants to fall into the abyss of plagiarism just because of the neglecting the place for citation.    

       In future work, on the aspect of form, I want move to two goals. First of all, I will strictly obey the form of APA and all the rules for citation. It is basic but of crucial step for my work. There is no room for compromise. Plus, I will find more concrete and persuasive information sources. I do need all these academic data, surveys and paper as a backbone to my innovative and aggressive thesis (to suggest the privacy notion will change over time, and it is our nature results in privacy leak but not proposal intention driven by commercial benefit really take a lot of courage as well as evidence! )

      For the future path, I have another two destination to reach. To begin with, I want to explain how Facebook function on the thesis in annotation one and two (we love privacy leak. It is our nature to peep over others’ private information. What Facebook has done just to meet our desire.) Hence, it will be much clearer for my viewers to get the gist how my thesis share the close relation with Facebook tightly in reality. Furthermore, I want to make a short peep on how it may be for the SNS (Social Networks Sites) in our near future on my last annotation. I hope my paper can provide a vision for all my readers, to let them get to the bottom of the privacy issue on Facebook or other SNS network. Then people can consequently see the full picture of our SNS work, not only for all the pros and cons in the past and the presence, but also the future.

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 [葉鎧維1]

My Comment toward My First Presentation

       After watching the clip of my first presentation, I conclude my speech. There are both pros and cons.
       For the optimistic part, it is cheerful that my stage manner really makes perfect. There is no obvious symptom for the stage- fright, such as holding hands anxiously or  gazing merely on the floor. In most of time , I can really  find confident on the stage, demonstrating my thesis clearly. Even though confronting errors, I can still fix the problem then bypass them smoothly. Perhaps I should contribute my well- done stage manner to the one- year training in English Department, NCU.
     However, evidently, I should also conquer some of the drawbacks in my presentation. After viewing the full video, I found my ability in composing words on stage still much in desire. Namely, I'm not extemporaneous enough. There is lots of redundant  phrase in my speech. Meanwhile, the words I selected are often monotonous and shallow.  All these problem have greatly compromised my good acquaintance in stage manner.
       Hence for my next presentation, what I really should take to my priority are to form an exact script and to practice more. I believe for the next time, I will do a better job.

Transcription for My First Presentation

(In very beginning)

Hello, everyone, I am Kevin. Today, we are going to discuss the privacy issue on Facebook.

(Alice Presentation)

And for me. Well, in some degree I really approve some of Alice’s points. For example, Facebook really should take responsibility for the, to our private privacy. For example they should protect our user ID, IP address and something like that. But in some degree I think (that) the privacy issue on Facebook is not exactly as what Alice said. And … here are some examples I found on books and Internet. For example, actually all of us love to … spy on others’ privacy. For example, in our conversation, will you ask your friends, what do eat today, will you? And will you ask your friend, for example, do you sleep well yesterday? Or how’s your homework. How’s your homework, right? (Response from audience) Yeah, actually our nature really, yep. We love to know others. And there is a concrete, uh, example built by Freud(佛洛伊德). He says, well, own to know how others make their living. It is a… a desire from our childhood. Because in our childhood, we all want to know where do we come from. And then, we can know in ancient China, the. We can know how the novel, Dream of the Red Chamber,(紅樓夢) to be the jewel in the literature. It provides readers, uh… , a precious way to bypass the wall built by the reality of poor and wealthy. It provides us a way to know the wealthy family, the maybe the most wealthy family at that time, to make their living. (And) How the forbidden love begins.

And then we can still see another evident example in nineteen century, U… United States of America. It is about the newspaper industry. Uh… When the newspaper was invented in. It just like a bulletin, only to provide news, monotonous news or several comments about it (them). But… our… smart business men found another way to make it as a, to …., to make a bigger (better) profit. They introduce a lot of street thrillers and gossips. And in some degree just like the, to pipe others’ privacy. And there is an, uh, obvious data to prove this really make success. In 1808, it only sells 432 newspaper a month. But after businessmen added all these methods into ne… newspaper industry, it begin to sell 1582 newspaper a month. It is a great deve… evolution.

 And then, our notion toward privacy evolves again. In later twenty century, uh, when the blogging (blog) invented, it open a new era for individualism. What is the individualism here means? It means that we no longer have to passively receive the information from outside. But today, we can demonstrate ourselves. So, everyone has a Facebook in this class room, right? Would you like to let your post gain a lot of Like. 就是得到很多的讚. Please raise your hand if you like it. Yeah, ok, we all like right? And… would you love to your picture you upload to the Facebook to get a lot of uh… attention? Right? (Response from audience) Everyone likes it, right? So in this one we found out that. Well, everyone loves to be… (pause). To be watched (said the teacher)? Yeah, to be watched. So, as you can see, we love to share out our private information to get trust, to get response from our friends. It also prove a psychiatrist (psychology) theory.

And so I think the privacy issue on Facebook is not the problem that, uh, come out from the, this is, this is, uh… and or a some, uh… Well, I want to say, it is only privacy problem as she’ve (has) talked about. Facebook has been built for just what we want. We want to let everybody look at us. So in this privacy issue. And so I think in the near future, our… there will be less obstruction about the information share. So our privacy notion has to change. That’s my presentation. Thank you.

Annotation 2 : How Our Notion toward Privacy Vary with Time?

       As the gist I pointed out on last annotation: our notion toward privacy keeps varying. In fact, not until late nineteen century did the term “privacy” enter ordinary people’s sight. Back to the Western world during renaissance or China governed by feudal empire, we’ve never heard of protest against privacy leak. But the one unchanged doctrine is that: we love spying on others secret.

       According to a great psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud, it is our nature to peep on others’ life. If we look back on our daily life, we can soon approve his thesis in one man: It is never an offensive way to show our care and intimacy in regards with friends such as inquiring them” What do you have for your lunch?” ” Do you sleep tight last night?” “We all love to know how other mankind makes their living and interacts with friends or lovers. This nature is aroused from our childhood, based on our deepest doubt about where we come from” stated firmly in Freud’s Psychoanalysis. Hence, it is much reasonable for us to understand why people took the novel, Dream of the Red Chamber, as the jewel in Chinese literature. For readers, especially in the past, this novel provides a precious way to bypass the fence built by the gap between poor and rich, allowing readers to appreciate the life in wealthy family and the forbidden romance between young couples. It is obvious that even back to the early age, far before the mature era of mass media, we still have managed to utilize every possible means, such as novels and our daily conversation, to satisfy our natural desire to peek at others’ private life.

Moreover, in more recent age, there is another evident example to proof our inborn eager to pry for others’ private life: the newspaper. In the beginning, newspaper serves merely as a bulletin to share information. There is only several monotony news and comments appear on the paper. Reading a newspaper back then definitely has nothing to do with thrill and excitement. However, later in mid nineteen century, smart businessmen seek out a new and promising track to success by taking advantage of our nature. Since then, newspaper comes out from another way. Besides daily news, it also takes scandals of politicians, extramarital affairs of a distinguished actress, or even gossips in neighborhoods into its context. Eventually, this strategy turns out to be a great success. The selling record mushrooms from 432 pieces a day in 1808 to 1582 in 1833. These gossips and thrillers really play an indispensable role in it.

 With the time change, many new technologies join our daily life, our tangle relation with peeping others remain, but the way to peep changes. Since blog and other social platforms, such as Facebook, are invented in late twenty century, it has opened a brand new era- It is the era for individualism. Instead of receive information through mainstream media passively, with blog we can now demonstrate ourselves in public and we enjoy it. By sharing details in our daily life, we act as the movie star in front of the spot light. In that way, we can thus gain responses and interact with our “audience.” On the other hand, by reading friends’ latest information, we not only instantly feel the strong intimacy in relationship, but we also get our natural desire satisfied. In fact, in Freud’s Psychoanalysis, he also mentions that we all desperate to acquire peers’ trust, approval and accompany. Today, we can achieve this goal simply by sharing our private life with friends on these social platforms. For us, we not only receive others’ private information, furthermore, we are much more willing to give out ours. Privacy is not a fragile antique which needs to be treated with carefulness, but a tool which can be utilized freely to broaden our social space and make us spiritual contented.

Generally speaking, from evidence above, we can come up with our conclusion: It is inevitable that human love to know more about others’ life, but the way to accomplish vary by the medium we use. Our notion toward privacy also evolves simultaneously. In late nineteen century, it may be unacceptable for a reporter unveils the complicated relationship an actress holds in his report. But today, we are deliberately to spread our image or video on the web. In the future, the way we treat private information has its tendency to be more aggressive and less restricted. For will we face the world with less obstacle in private information share? It is already not the question for yes- or- no, but for when and how.

Sources:

Bobbie Johnson. (2009). How Exactly is Facebook Making Money. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2009/sep/16/facebook-money. The Guradian

 Mark Sullivan. (2010). How Will Facebook Make Money. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/198815/ssss.html. PcWorld

黃崢. (2008) 窺探隱私是天性. Retrieved from http://health.people.com.cn/BIG5/14740/21471/6898544.html . 人民網

新浪傳媒. (2012). 解析1690年-2011年美国报业发展史.retrieved from http://news.sina.com.cn/m/2012-02-22/095123972869.shtml. 新浪網