Yesterday I posted about my approach to Facebook in light of all the recent uproar over the lack of privacy and Facebook’s seeming desire to make its information more public and make it more difficult to change or understand the privacy settings. My approach is simple. I will just assume that every single piece of information on the site is public, just as this blog or Twitter. (Just for the record, so you will not all think I am incapable of original thought, I wrote the bulk of yesterday’s post before reading this post by Ed Stetzer or hearing yesterday’s TWIT) Today is an addendum to that post. It includes a few thoughts about privacy. I have noticed over the last few years that there are two distinct ways of looking at privacy. I have also noticed that the line of demarcation for these two views is somewhere around 1973. If you were born prior to 1973 you most likely think, “Why would anyone want to share info about themselves? The world is full of people out to get you and you have to protect yourself.” If you were born post 1973 you most likely think “Why not share all that info?”

Although I think it is wise to be careful, I’m definitely in the latter category.

Why?

Because nobody really wants to stalk me, or you.

And if they do really want to stalk you they will find some way with or without Facebook. I believe we all have a natural tendency to think people are looking at us all the time. We are naturally narcissistic. In reality, only the people who care, will be interested in what you post. Advertisers want to sell you stuff. (Which is why my Facebook ads are all for fishing and church-functions.) Otherwise you are only sharing info with friends because strangers don’t care. 43% of identity theft is from people who know the victim, so it’s not like you are protecting yourself by leaving Facebook. Your uncle is more likely to take out a credit card in your name than a stranger that learned about you from Facebook.

I guess that is really only one thought about privacy and Facebook. Feel free to tell me in the comments why I am wrong and how dangerous it is.