In the NYTthis morning we are treated to yet another intrusion into our lives by merchandisers - but only with our "permission".
FACEBOOK wants to put your face on advertisements for products that you like.
Facebook .com is a social networking site that lets people accumulate "friends" and share preferences and play games with them. Each member creates a home page where he or she can post photographs, likes and dislikes and updates about their activities.
Yesterday, in a twist on word-of-mouth marketing, Facebook began selling ads that display people’s profile photos next to commercial messages that are shown to their friends about items they purchased or registered an opinion about.
In a system of "social contacts" that is riddled with pedophiles, sociopaths and teens who spend their time in front of a computer rather than out in the world polishing their skills, marketers have developed the software to use their angst and disconnect to make them feel they are a part of a larger world. The world of product placement and selling.
For example, going forward, a Facebook user who rents a movie on Blockbuster.com will be asked if he would like to have his movie choice broadcast out to all his friends on Facebook. And those friends would have no choice but to receive that movie message, along with an ad from Blockbuster.
The link between Blockbuster and Facebook will allow the transfer of information. For now, Facebook is promising they will not share personal information about users with commerical entitites. But consider for a moment, Blockbuster has all of your credit information and Facebook has all of your personal information. What a marriage! How convenient!!
Facebook says that many of its 50 million active users already tell friends about particular products or brands they like, and the only change will be that those communications might start to carry ad messages from the companies that sell them. Facebook is letting advertisers set up their own profile pages at no charge and encouraging companies like Blockbuster, Condé Nast and Coca-Cola to share information with Facebook about the actions of Facebook members on their sites.
So. We have moved from you sharing a film, or new product you liked with a friend, to advertisers moving in and insisting that every one in your network be advised of your preferences?
As eager as advertisers are to tap into the rich trove of information that people freely offer about themselves on sites like Facebook and MySpace.com, there are nevertheless growing concerns about the privacy issues raised by such tactics. Facebook’s announcement yesterday came just a few days after a Federal Trade Commission hearing in Washington about online privacy and customized ads. The F.T.C. expressed concern that advertisers may have access to too much information about people’s online activities.
Expressed Concern? Too much information? Ya' THINK???
Facebook users will not be able to avoid these personally recommended ads if they are friends with participating people. Participation can involve joining a fan club for a brand, recommending a product or sharing information about their purchases from external Web sites.
So, the combination of software advances, immature teens and young adults, and the unlimited averice of marketers has finally found Nirvana - and who in this system of exploitation is able, or qualified, to access the dangers of this marriage of commerce and social isolation? The 13 year old who sneaks out at 3am to meet the 44 year old who has been misleading her for the past 8 months?
This is a disaster for Facebook members, those with privacy concerns, and every responsible adult who worries about the growing intrusion of public entitites into our private lives.
The tip of the iceberg has been spotted. Just remember 9/10ths of it is still invisible - buried under all that water of greed, and disclaimers.
The only way to put a stop to this kind of intrusion is to convince everyone you know to cancel their Facebook registration and make it clear just why they are doing so. Get the message into your local schools. Write a LTE. It's time to reclaim some sembalence of privacy - even though our "Valued Congress Critters" won't stop our government from spying on us. At least we don't have to participate!!