Will you be my friend?

Simone Back RIP

I've always found the concept of finding friends through social networking sites i.e. Facebook slightly bemusing. In general, I know who my friends are. I have always felt happy to have a few good friends who I know I can call upon at any time if I need them.  For me that is enough.

At every opportunity Facebook offers you the possibility to meet new "friends" who are "friends" of your "friends" and therefore will want to be "friends" with you. Ultimately the objective is to get as many "friends" as possible and, presumably, you will have more "friends" than your own "friends". The "average" user on Facebook has 130 "friends".  But can you really have a meaningful friendship with two or three hundred people?

Simone Back had 1,048 (one thousand and forty eight) Facebook friends. I say had, because Simone is dead.  She committed suicide. At 10 pm on Christmas Day 2010, Simone posted a suicide note as a status update on her Facebook page saying she had just taken an overdose of pills. She died the following day. Her Facebook "friends" commented on her status. One said she was a liar. Another said that she "does this all the time". There were many comments, some voiced concern, but no one raised the alarm.

Facebook's objective is to build a global database of "friends" in order to generate online advertising so that ultimately the company can be sold to the benefit of its existing 500 shareholders.  So the next time you click "add XXXX as a friend" make sure they are a real friend. Like Simone Back, you never know when you might need one.

As an aside, Facebook is currently estimated to earn c. $2bn a year.  Current valuation of the company ($50 bn) is therefore c. 25 times revenue which is ridiculous.  In order to realise that value they will need to generate  more revenue and to that they will need a more targeted advertising model than their current crude display ads.  What this all means is that your privacy is under threat.

Don't get me wrong.  I see enormous value in social networking sites such as Facebook.  It's just that I also put a real value on friendship and my personal privacy. Some tips.  Check your Facebook privacy settings. You wouldn't let strangers wander around your house and look at your personal stuff would you?  Download and install Adblock to get rid of those pesky ads.  Download and install Ghostery to prevent others monitoring your online browsing habits. And talk to your friends every now and then!