Time to Socialize Social Media (aside)

The introduction to this article reminded me to a video I saw, Who Moved My Cheese. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDNhEYpBPbY). I refer to this video as people are not accustomed to change (as well as everyday change and practical life adaptations).

The general population is not accustomed to change, which could explain their resistance to the idea of a "government-run" social media space. You also must consider that a "government-run" social media space may sound off-putting because many people do not have enough trust in our government to uphold those responsibilities. However, if that space was handled like the USPS and advertised as that, it may change consumers' minds. As touched on in this article and in A Deep Dive into Facebook and Datalogix, Facebook uses you to increase their profit and knows a lot about you, "Including your facial characteristics". "The postal Service may not collect or maintain information describing how individuals exercise their rights protected by the First Amendment". This would change Facebook's actions entirely and would keep your personal and confidential information, personal and confidential.

Currently, "law enforcement only needs a subpoena (a writ ordering a person to attend a court) to make companies turn over electronic documents". This means what you say on Facebook can be used as incriminating evidence much easier than it would if Facebook was government-run. In a (postal-style) government-run Facebook, the FBI must be administered a warrant before they can read your information.

When viewing the contrast, you must remember that, "The Postal Service bears a responsibility to the American people, social media companies only bear a responsibility to their shareholders/investors". You must also consider that if companies' objective is to maximize profit, this could mean exploiting you as an individual.

Inevitably, it is up to the consumer to make the decision, or if they care, on how they are being tracked. Some may think, with the aid of social media, that 'Big Brother' is now aided by 'Big Sister' too, 'Big Sister' being social media. Your information is accessible to a wide variety of entities, some of which you do not know. Changing to a more structured and confidential social media space may be what is best for the overall population's privacy and protection, but they must be willing to accept change.