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How Facebook has got us all at ransom.

After the privacy scandal of facebook. I admit that I am still an amid user. Not through any real choice of my own but by the simple fact that facebook has way too much inappropriate photos evidence against me.

Before my generation,  photographs were much less accessible. You needed an actual camera (not just one attached to your phone). You would then have to print them out at a one hour photo specialised store. When I hit my early 20s photos were easily accessible and quickly posted online. Often at a time when my judgment had left me. Thank you, alcohol. Thank you, youth.

Facebook has started to change it's public image from data stealing to privacy aware. It is also trying to play to our nostaglic side by enabling a section called 'memories'.

After clicking on this memories section, I am bombarded by photos of my university days. Pictures of my face looking supple and fuller. I don't mind that. I know I'm destined to get older. We all are.

I just don't recognise nor understand that girl that I see in the photographs.

I don't 'get' her.

I would never take that many photos now. Even if I did, they would not be posted on facebook. Or instagram. Or if they did, it would be over my dead body.

How many photos can you possibly take of the same pose?

How much fake tan can you put on for a night out?

Why was I wearing a mini dress in the middle of winter?

What was with those hair extensions?

The 'memories' section also likes to remind me of my insightful and informative 'status updates' from back then.

Such as:

'Jacinta went somewhere she hadn't been in 13 weeks..... the gym.'

'Jacinta hates studying'

'Jacinta hates assignments'

'Jacinta needs botox in her lips'

How about STFU?

I feel sorry for the people on my facebook during those years who had to endure those insightful status updates. I'm sorry guys.

I don't know who that girl is.

I really don't.

You see, I can't leave Facebook because Facebook has me at ransom. While you may say 'well you can delete/remove the tags' of the inappropriate photos. That's all well and good from my end. Unfortunately I wasn't always the uploader of those photos. I am also no longer friends with those people and there's too many for them to manually delete (and super awkward for me to ask).

If I can't control the amount of photos on there, I need to at least be able to have the 'illusion' of control by overseeing the damage that has been done to my brand/image. That's why I can't leave.

As for the old status updates? They are being manually deleted day by day.

In a way I wish I was from an older generation because my youth wouldn't have been so well documented and online.

As they say 'Youth is wasted on the young'.

If I had the wisdom now, I wouldn't have uploaded so much. It's amazing how much you change in 10 years.

So as you can see, I can't leave Facebook. Not yet anyway.

I'm at ransom.

They got me when I was young. I'm now forever trapped.











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