Are You Stupid?

By Pandora Poikilos

Harsh title? I know. But let's review what got me to it. Those who've reading the blog since way back when know that the Keep Me Safe campaign was something I started last year to raise awareness on Internet safety and using (not abusing) social media networks that came with it. From this, came the Pledge Of Responsible Social Media Users which is intended to be a voice at advocating non-abusive and safe Internet usage and guidelines.

On 13 January, to further create awareness of the campaign and the pledge I started a group on Facebook. well, with 500 million users and counting, I have a very strong chance at making my voice heard.

All went well, a click here, a click there and voila! The "I Am Responsible - Are You?" group was started. Then, I made a mistake and a very big one. In asking people to read what is put in front of them, somewhere, somehow I, myself failed to do this. This is my first group that I have ever started on Facebook but I remember when joining it last year, I could choose the groups I wanted to join and if a friend added me, I would receive a notification that said something like - You've been invited to join so and so by so and so. Perfect. People still thought I was intelligent enough to make my own choices. I wasn't stupid, I can read, I can understand and choose. No issues.

So, I started clicking away at my friends names assuming that they would receive this notification. Happy that I could be informing people and asking them to come and share my voice. Two batches of 'invitations' and more than 50 names later, I was mortified to note that it wasn't invitations, it was automated additions. Huh? What?

Again, if someone selects your name to join a group, you're not invited to the group, you are automatically added into the group. Now, now, don't be shocked. So, there's always an undo. It's the computer, it's the Internet. Just 'unclick' the persons you've added in. Well, if someone has figured this out, let me know because there isn't an option to do this either.

Which means, that users would have to log on to Facebook, be aware that they have been added into a group and then choose whether they wanted to stay or leave. There I was promoting a group about Internet safety and privacy, by adding people without their permission. Absolutely dandy. So, I started messaging them one by one, apologising, some came forward asking and I explained what had happened. This is me.

But here's a scenario, with 500 million users and counting, there's bound to be a group created every minute and most of us do not check our Facebook pages every minute of everyday. Here's a dramatic (but completely possible) scenario, a friend creates a group along the lines of "I Cheat On My Spouse Too" and automatically adds you.

You don't check your Facebook profile for say, a week. So, for 7 days, 168 hours, people who know you, your other Facebook friends, people around the world will be under the impression that you too, cheat on your spouse. How's that?

On a positive note, I would like to think that this is Facebook telling people - Wake up. You need to be more careful about who you add as friends. Be more vigilant about what you say and do on the Internet. It isn't all honesty, trust and responsibility that you find at every nook and corner of the cyber world.

Then I look at it from the business aspect and I think, this is Facebook telling people - We want you clicking away at your pages more frequently. If you're going to be checking on groups that you're automatically added into, the more you'll be clicking away.

The more you use, the more money for them. Responsibility and accountability be damned, let's make some money from 500 million users and counting. Then, on the simple, practical side of it, I think, this is Facebook telling you, you're too stupid to make your own choices. You do not have your own voice. Let someone else, friend or not, do this for you. Let someone else be your voice. One click, that's all it takes.