The Social Fretwork (Gets hacked)

"Everybody and their mums" are on Social Network websites these days. They have gone from being a murky hang out for long haired guitar-playing lotharios to an inescapable part of every day life. Used for everything from business networking, to organising parties, to managing your romantic relationships the age of the 'Online Persona' is truly upon us.


A few times now I have been presented with the defence from Social Network addicts that we should all be "Managing our online image" for both social and career success. To take this as anything but a passive activity frightens me a bit with enough things to manage in life but it does seem to be increasingly important to success. It was one evening last week when I was logged into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace all at the same time that I started to feel like a bit of a digital harlot. However the alternative to crouching in the middle of this sprawling web of status updates and friend lists is fade into obscurity before you begin. I was recently told that a prolific Venture Capatalist "doesn't exist" due to his relative abscence from a quick Google search...


But I have alarming news for us all, the safety blanket of these online forums may be snatched all too soon. The scientific eye has turned to social networks and the suggestion is that they might be "undermining people's social skills and their ability to read body language" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7898510.stm). A worrying thought, couple this with the ever present security risks and investing so heavily in our 'Online Persona' starts to look like a bit of a poison chalice. Even the overlord of the social network revolution is not immune to security breaches, with his own Facebook account being defaced to promote vaguely communist-style funding suggestions (http://tinyurl.com/4svl3px).


By far the most noticeable thing about Social Network use is the bizarre power which it exerts over everyday life. If you have seen 'The Social Network' then you will be familiar with Zuckerberg's aspiration to get people talking and blurring the line between online and real life by using terms like "I'll Facebook you" or "give me a poke". Whilst such comments would have previously raised a few eyebrows, they now flow through conversation as standard. The reality is that things have gone much further.


How many of us compulsively check various social networks as soon as we sit down at a computer? More to the point how many of us use them as a procrastination tool by diving into the inviting torrent of  human babble? The rampage of this kind of social interaction seems to have a shelf life however. Some argue that the reigning champ Facebook has not beaten the now defunct MySpace, but that both have simply had their day (http://tinyurl.com/36xna9c). How long will it be before we see today's "Are you on.....?" turn into tomorrow's "You are still on.....?!.


Personally I think Social Network Harikari will come to them all, so don't forget to back up your photos. (http://tinyurl.com/47mom3u)


**Update 1/2/11: "Nobody is safe" http://www.infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/no-ones-facebook-profile-safe-552