What a good read

My network I chose to explore is a book site called Goodreads. I am already a member of a different book site but I was interested to see how a different network with the same basis operates. It was easy to join because as with most sites all I needed was my name, a password and an email address. I was given the option to create a username but chose to use my first name as I feel more comfortable with this. The site was well labeled, easy to navigate and contained useful information.

The site gives the user the option to connect using either their Facebook, Twitter or Google accounts so, as it states, you can connect with your friends who may already use the site. Even if you choose not to use this option when signing up it appears in the login box every time you enter in case you decide to change your mind.  A further feature allows the site to post your activities on your page for the social network you have signed in with so that your ‘friends’ can see what you have been doing. This provides a connection between two different networks and allows Goodreads access to more information on you and your preferences.

I am not particularly fond of this function as it is interconnecting everything we do and seems to be a way to gather and gain even more information on users. It ties in with what Theresa was speaking about in the lecture in regards to how businesses and companies,  through various methods, are using the choices we make while shopping or networking online to specifically target the preferences of the individual (Petray, 2013). It is almost like the panopticon proposed by Jeremy Bentham (Turkle, 1995) except in a more modern setting. This may not bother some people, due to the easy factor of having one login, but it worries me as we are losing our right to the traditional form of privacy and I find this disempowering.

Petray, T. (2013). BA1002. Our space: Networks, Narratives and the Making of place. Week 3. [Audio Recording]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

Turkle, S. 1995. Life on the Screen: Identity in the age of the internet. Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, New York.