Facebook

It is true that Facebook is enjoying mega-success by appealing to the interpersonal relationships formed by people in real life and in cyberspace. Its niche University market has exploded wide open, offering accounts to anyone who is willing to agree to the privacy policy (I admit, like most privacy policies, I skipped over Facebook's). Tom Hodgkinson's article on why he despises Facebook brought some new information to light; specifically the philosophy and intentions of the key financial backers such as Thiel. Hodgkinson's claims are partially grounded in truth; Facebook is the most evolved form of capitalism currently available. Advertising partners must be truly excited to be a part of Facebook, as they can target consumers with precision and accuracy never before seen on any other medium. It seems that Facebook & co. were so excited that they foolishly misjudged their actions and implemented the Beacon system without warning. My girlfriend was affected by this.. after purchasing a pair of shoes on Zappos.com, the Beacon system set up a space on her profile showing the whole Facebook world exactly what shoes she had just ordered, without ever so much as even notifying her this would happen, let alone offering the option to opt-out. Although legally, Facebook is entitled to do this (read the privacy policy), this was a very poor decision. Think about how many holiday surprises were ruined by Facebook.. for example if a guy buys $100 furry Ugg boots, they clearly are intended for a ladyfriend (who is now aware of his purchase). The fact that Facebook never let its users know the extent to which the system monitors users activities is really frightening.