Alaina Murphy

Introduction

The purpose of our research project was to examine the extent to which Facebook upholds its privacy policies. Our group of seven individuals split into three groups: Deactivate, Delete, and Control (meaning they kept their Facebook’s activated throughout the research). I was a part of the group that deactivated, along with Robert Garcia and Andrew Cox. The main question we sought to answer through our research was: Does the social networking site, Facebook, truly uphold its privacy policies when a user deactivates or deletes his/her account?

Data/Analysis/Ethics

After deactivating my Facebook on March 6^th, 2012, I kept a log documenting my thoughts and experiences. The following posts were written during the span of the research project which was from March 6th through March 23rd. Throughout that entire time, my Facebook account was deactivated, and still currently is. 

Log 1:
First off, it was quite a task even deactivating my Facebook. It kept prompting me with questions like, "Are you sure you want to deactivate?" and then "Why do you want to deactivate?" I assume they do this as a way to prevent Facebook users from deactivating their accounts. Also, they showed me pictures of my family and friends, telling me that they will miss me on Facebook; this was very strange and somewhat cult-like to me. I was also prompted with CAPTCHA pictures, which were very difficult to see; I assume Facebook purposefully does this, hoping that the user will get fed up or bored and simply keep their account. The first day has been somewhat difficult for me; out of habit, I keep clicking on the Facebook favorites tab, only to realize that I no longer have an active account. The fact that it is so easy to reactivate is very enticing. I’ve been on Reddit a lot more, as a way to keep my mind off of Facebook. The biggest issue that I’ve faced so far is that I can’t use Spotify; you need to log in with your Facebook account in order to use it and that is simply ridiculous. When I tried to make a non-Facebook-related account for Spotify, it stated that I absolutely needed a Facebook account to use it, then it linked me to the site to make a new Facebook account.

Log 2:
I’ve realized that keeping the Facebook application on my phone and keeping the Facebook favorite tab is simply too tempting. Today I deleted the application and the tab. Nevertheless, I keep clicking in the URL bar and typing F-A, then catching myself and stopping. It’s kind of embarrassing how much of a habit Facebook has become. I’m so used to being on Facebook that I don’t even notice my fingers typing the web address.

Log 3:
Today I had to delete a couple other applications off of my phone because they keep prompting me to log in with my Facebook. Some of the applications even had my Facebook email and password already entered in, so that all I needed to do was click Ok, thus reactivating my Facebook account. I deleted Words with Friends and Draw Something. I was concerned that my Facebook account had been reactivated, but unfortunately you need a Facebook account to search for someone, so I asked my sisters to check that my account was still unsearchable. It was still deactivated, thankfully.

Log 4:
Not having a Facebook is actually getting easier; I haven’t been to the Facebook site for a couple days now and the habit of accidentally searching it has ceased. It’s currently finals week and normally I’d be using Facebook as a distraction to avoid studying or writing, but without it, I’ve gotten all of my work done much faster. I’ve been reading about the privacy policy and I’m becoming more and more okay with not using Facebook. Even though the day to reactivate is coming up, I’m dubious that I will reactivate. My life has been much less computer-oriented, which is odd for me, but I'm beginning to enjoy it. As one of my friends said (after hearing that I had deactivated my account): "You're the last person I'd ever picture deleting (sic) your Facebook...you're like an internet fiend."

Conclusion

So, the day came and went that I was allowed to reactivate my Facebook, but I didn’t. I realized just how much of my information was accessible to outside parties. I am not comfortable with Facebook employees having access to my photographs and my posts. I am also not comfortable with potential employers asking for and/or accessing my Facebook profile either. Even though I am friends with family members on Facebook (meaning that I don’t post lewd or off-color content), I still feel violated by the fact that strangers can look over my personal information. One plus, however, is that after deactivating my account, it has remained completely unsearchable. On the other hand, Facebook still has all of my information stored in their systems, basically waiting for me to reactivate.

        Without a Facebook, I have had a lot more time to myself. I am not preoccupied with who is doing what with whom, where people are, or what I’m missing out on. I’ve begun to realize that it isn’t necessary to post every single thought that occurs to me; I don’t have to show everyone a song I like, instead I can simply enjoy it on my own. The only thing that I do miss is my photo albums, as Facebook holds virtually every picture I’ve taken with my digital camera. If I do decide to completely delete my Facebook, I will have to reactivate and save all of my pictures to my computer, then delete.
       Although I believe that Facebook has a lot of benefits, especially with new media and technology, until Facebook fully adheres to a person’s request for privacy, I will not reactivate my account. It is more important to me that I have the ability to actually keep parts of my life private, than it is to be an active user on a social networking site, and thus I am still currently Facebook-free and plan to stay this way.