The Facebook Factor

I like millions of my peers, am an active Facebook user. I personally see it as a useful way to talk to people for free, keep in touch with distant friends and relatives, get the occasional cheap laugh (usually a repost from Reddit) and as a decent promotional tool. All this costs me absolutely nothing and I feel that as long as your smart about what you post and keep your privacy and security settings properly configured, you have little to fear. 

However, like every new technology or system that begins to permeate many aspects of society, people become alarmed with this new and unknown thing and some begin to fear it. So begins the moral panic that surrounds Facebook. Now I'm very aware that they are no saints and make billions by selling your information to evil marketing companies. However the most common complaints I hear are usually people either not understanding the true nature of a social network or else simply being resentful of the new unfamiliar forms of communication that have arisen from websites like Facebook. Many sensationalist studies appear decrying social networks and how they are corrupting the youth, destroying human language and damaging peoples minds. These never stand up to much scrutiny, usually bankrolled by a conservative family organisations or other biased groups. 

This is a predictable reaction. Moral panics arise regularly when new technologies enter public life. 20 years ago mobile phones at the cutting edge of personal communication technology. Now social networks like Facebook represent the evolution of how human society communicates with itself. When mobile phones began to become more common and popular, many groups began to worry about how this would impact society and its development. Sending text messages via mobile phones is one of the most common forms of modern human communication. When its popularity exploded, reports began to surface how texting is corrupting our youth. These could be found in the bullshit 'kids today' commentaries that have plagued every generation since written history began. Some examples are how texting is 'rewiring your child's brain' and how its 'taking its toll'. These sorts of alarmist reports do nothing but create a lot of fear and distrust of what is simply a method of communication. This horseshit idea that we were all pure and moral in the days before phones and Internet really irritates me. They are often written by people who are simply afraid of change and have no factual or practical basis in reality.

Occasionally when an enthusiastic rant about Facebook flares up, I usually try to rationally explain there is no point in hating it, as it is not an entity where hating it will do anything constructive, it is like despising emails or phone calls. I usually like to pose the following question:

If you (the ranter) created a form of social media that fit your criteria for what is morally decent and acceptable, after a few years it became the most popular and dominant form of social media, then a person came out decrying how it has perverted human discourse and culture. If it were possible, what would you say to this person?

Whenever I ask this question the Facebook detractor usual repeats their position or else explains it again in a different way. This is the futility of the argument against social networking. I agree their are lots of valid concerns related to privacy and how the information posted is all stored in the Facebook mainframe, however if you simply do not post private or compromising information on this public forum, you should be fine. Many people simply do not understand the public nature of Facebook. I find it hard to sympathise with those who have landed in personal or professional trouble as a result of a poorly thought out post. 

Can you honestly feel sorry for this tool?

People complain of the invasion of privacy and the corruption of the moral discourse that we all imagine we enjoy. If I were to go onto someone's Facebook page and print out everything they have ever said, then put it up in public place they would be shocked and likely outraged. However this is freely available public information. Facebook is an open forum, many do not see or comprehend what this actually means. Discussing something on Facebook with someone on their wall is akin to shouting in a busy shopping centre or displaying it on a TV screen in a packed bar. You are in a public forum, anyone can see it and do what they please with it. We have all heard tales of people losing jobs after they friended their boss then forgetting this, posted something horrible about them. You wouldn't start yelling about how your boss is a wanker in the canteen of your office, so you shouldn't do it on Facebook either. 

Many of my peers frequently complain and moan about something they have seen or heard about on the Newsfeed, mentioning their disdain for the fact that the person chose to announce this information on Facebook. The irony of the nature of their discovery completely oblivious to them of course. This inherent distrust of a form of social media I believe is pointless. Love it or hate it social networking is the future. This is not a passing fad or trend, rather the latest method of communicating to arise the modern Internet enabled world. This relatively new communication medium is still in its infancy. Social networking 10 years from now will likely be a totally different ball game than it is today. So rather than fearing and hating it, it should be approached with thought and care. Like anything in the online world, the true security of your data on any site is never really certain. If you have personal things you do not want your family, colleagues or friends to view then DO NOT put it on the Internet.

I'm not suggesting that Facebook should have free reign with how they operate. I disagree with many of their more suspicious decisions and dubious marketing behaviour. There is very much the need for some form of regulation or controls in place to keep large multi billion dollar companies from behaving too recklessly. Especially one that has so much personal details on people.

I do not love Facebook, I merely believe that it is a tool that should be used with care. 

Games Ireland Gathering 2012!

I attended this years Games Ireland Gathering. This networking and information event was held in the Gibson Hotel in Dublin and ran for the whole day with a morning of workshops followed by an afternoon filled with interesting discussions from a large number of esteemed contributors. These are a great opportunity for graduates and other people seeking work in the game industry to see what is happening first hand and hear how its done from those in the know. 

Discussions on the day ranged from the future of the cloud, mobile gaming and the current state of games development in Ireland. Several big name companies such as PopCap, BigFishGames and even Havok were there advertising positions available. Some free stuff from the stalls are always good to weigh down the bag for the physical experience of leaving the place with something. 

Keynote speakers included Dylan Collins, the executive Chair of Fight My Monster, a new rapidly growing multiplayer gaming site aimed at under 13 boys. This has expanded at a frenetic pace since its inception. The stats are quite impressive, with membership of the site approaching 1 million members. The site allows players to fight each other with their monsters, play mini games, chat to their friends and teach them some basic numeracy and economics with the games internal money system. His speech was funny and entertaining, Dylan being a likeable man with lots to say.

The second Keynote speech was given by Phil Campbell, a veteran game designer with over 20 years of experience and who worked on several iconic games such as the original Tomb Raider, The God Father games, Heavy Rain and several James Bond titles. He took us briefly through how he got to where he is and gave an interesting insight into how he he approaches his work. 

The final section event of showcased some up and coming Irish gaming companies and demonstrated their latest projects. The BitSmith team, colleagues of mine from my masters course, showcased their game Ku, an action RPG based on Irish mythology for release on the iPad. Open Emotion were there again in force opening with a hilarious video depicting their CEO, Paddy Murphy, kicking ass Mario-style within a game. They also had a big announcement of their new secret project. They have the dubious honour of developing the official RubberBandits game. This should be interesting to see, keep an eye out for The Rubber Bandits, Revenge of Stephen Forward! Ideal Binary, Redwind Software and Tribal City also showcased their latest projects.

I must say I really enjoy these events. There is a very tangible sense of comradery amongst the fellow gamers and enthusiasts. The panel discussions are always interesting, the guest speakers are funny and have great tales to tell and the start ups presenting their games are inspiring. Another bonus is there are usually great prizes to be won, this year a Notebook and 2 Kindle Fires were up for grabs. The networking at the end of the event even provides some free beer that tastes particularly sweet. They are well organised and most crucially free. I look forward to the next Games Ireland event and will be there with bells on!