The Social Graph Is Neither [why social networks are inherently antisocial]

[salvorhardin]

Social networks are often, deservedly, criticized for their privacy issues, but here Maciej Ceglowski argues that the social graph, the very concept social networks are built on, is fundamentally flawed and inherently antisocial.

Note: About 3,000 words but well worth the time. Don't let the little bit of XML code scare you. The post is 99.9% nontechnical.

The social graph wants to turn us back into third graders, laboriously spelling out just who is our fifth-best-friend. But there's a reason we stopped doing that kind of thing in third grade!

You might almost think that the whole scheme had been cooked up by a bunch of hyperintelligent but hopelessly socially naive people, and you would not be wrong. Asking computer nerds to design social software is a little bit like hiring a Mormon bartender. Our industry abounds in people for whom social interaction has always been more of a puzzle to be reverse-engineered than a good time to be had, and the result is these vaguely Martian protocols.

Full post: http://blog.pinboard.in/2011/11/the_social_graph_is_neither

[salvorhardin]

1. Kick for the evening crowd.

Seriously folks, this is a must read. We're so used to being worried about privacy that we rarely stop to think about the actual social part of social media.