Thursday, 18 February 2010 15:17 | Written by Dominic Omondi
Economists say “there is nothing like free lunch” in reference to the opportunity cost we incur when we forego all other economic activities we could have undertaken for the free lunch. Taking on the same principle, producer Jo Wade has been looking at the price we pay for free information. The result has been the coinage of the phrase “The Cost of Free.”
According to Wade, we unknowingly pay a price every time we log in Facebook, Twitter or other social networking sites that are perceived as being free.
The price we pay, he wrote in a BBC blog known as “The Virtual Revolution” that looks at how the web is shaping our world, include divulging such personal details that touch on religious beliefs, age, date of birth, gender, political beliefs, kins, employment status, some of the details that would be hard for us to reveal even under duress.
The information also feeds bank accounts for certain “powerful companies that are reshaping the web” such as Google, and online newspapers.
The personal information that we give on such social network sites as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and others can be pounced upon by fraudsters or other persons with ulterior motives.
And with regard to the large companies, the writer notes that Google, for example, use the millions of search terms they receive everyday as a “marketing bonanza” that earns them billions of shillings annually. Facebook regularly compiles and saves the personal information in their site for direct advertising purposes.
The sentiments come at a time when there has been increased reportage on cases of hacking that began with Google protesting that some Gmail accounts of some their clients in mainland China had been infiltrated by some unknown actors. This has since spurred internet users into reconsidering their online security status.
And even before the hacking phobia, reports had been rife on how employers are turning to sites such as Facebook to vet the reliability of job applicants. Developments that prompted the U.S. president to advise American teenagers not to put too much of their personal information on such websites as Facebook.
“Well, let me give you some very practical tips.” Said the president in a question-and-answer session with a group of 14- and 15-year-old school students, when one of the pupils asked for his advise on how to become president, “First of all, I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life,” Mr. Obama said.
Ironically, during his campaign period Mr. Obama used Facebook more than his Republican rival John McCain to put together some funds for his campaign kitty. Even the Obama White House itself, reports The Telegraph, frequently bypasses the mainstream media and uses such social network sites as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter to communicate directly to Americans.
Facebook’s advantages include allowing one to connect with both new and old friends, making it possible to join a group with similar likes and dislikes like those who are interested in giving moral and financial support to the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Facebook can also be an avenue for one to search for a marital or simply dating partner.
Google helped internet frequenters to “reduce IT costs, get less spam and improve productivity.”
But Wade insists that with the popularity of such sites as Facebook and Google, you are not only being watched but also traded. And the currency, he says, is the information you give.
The Author is a content Developer Working With Webmasters Kenya.You can reach him thrrough Email:
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