• Tech

Do you hear that? It’s the voice of the people!

Through all the accusations and doom-and-gloom predictions about Facebook and its future implications, it appears we’ve never investigated Facebook and its open graph (and we must in order to understand the true reach of Facebook). Facebook operates on a system of simple identifiers and “connections” between those labels and unique IDs. Yes, I understand the [...]

As of yesterday, Facebook’s new “Groupon killer” is live in five cities, including Dallas: Facebook Deals. The idea is not new, but the execution and consequences are. It works basically the same way as Groupon. Facebook rounds up “deals” from local businesses (yes, Facebook knows where you are) and puts them up for mass buying [...]

Lacy’s Mix: EMAC6374_SoundObj

In previous posts, I have talked about some of the various ways companies are allowed to leverage the identities of Facebook users including attaching a user’s name to an ad without their express consent. What I haven’t discussed, however, is why it’s so easy to do this on Facebook. Let’s face it: Facebook’s platform is [...]

How much is your identity worth? A simple search about anything “identity”-related would yield multiple articles on protecting your identity from cybercriminals. Don’t give out your social security number online, be aware of safe websites, never send sensitive information over an email, etc. etc. According to Wikipedia, Identity theft is a form of fraud or [...]

“How well do you know her?” he asked me. “Well, we’ve met once, but we’ve been Facebook friends for a long time, so I can kind of keep up with her,” I responded. That sentence just flowed out of my mouth like I actually believed that because we were Facebook friends, I had some idea [...]

It seems with ideas floating around like Open ID and Rapleaf, the idea that no piece of identity can be truly separated from the rest is less prevalent than it should be. Thanks to the ubiquitousness of digital technologies, very few pieces of physical life can be separated from the rest. A recent example of [...]

“Naturally the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist [...]

This series of blog posts will be focused on how identities are crafted in online spaces. The art of identity creation is mastered in physical space by the necessity of self-preservation. Those most disciplined are able to influence their prospective futures by crafting an identity that suits their endeavors. Online, however, in an increasingly complex [...]