Facebook Boundaries

Fine Line : Sir Paul McCartney

There is a fine line, between recklessness and courage
It's about time, you understood which road to take
It's a fine line, your decision makes a difference
Get it wrong, you'll be making a big mistake

So not too long ago one of my aunt's posted a comment on her Facebook page that said "are there no boundaries on Facebook".  She had written the post because of some minor back and forth between several family members.  What the back and forth as is not relevant what is though is the question.  Are there no boundaries on Facebook?

The easy answer is no there are no boundaries.  One of her grandchildren responded quite correctly, "it is a form of expression and in that aspect it is a natural right".  I think that was a damn fine answer but certainly not the only answer.

There are boundaries that we all must live inside of if we are to live in concordance with each other.  All of the major religions of the world incorporate many of the same precepts such as don't kill, cheat and steal.  They also express fundamental elements of mutual respect in that we should all treat each other the way that we would want to be treated.

So here we are living in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984.  We have the means to communicate with one another almost instantaneously anywhere around the world and with as large an audience as we choose or as large of an audience that chooses to listen to us.  This mechanism is an awesome tool as it levels the playing field and allows anyone who chooses to voice their opinions or thoughts for the world to see and hear.  This new found means of rapid and mass exposure to the world which also lends itself to anonymity should the author choose, or direct attribution should the author choose if that is what he or she wants.

Facebook offers various levels of exposure from extremely private to full blown public access and no, not just your neighbors but to anyone else in the world who cares to view or search out your site, again based upon the privacy levels that you set.

As for boundaries if we all watch our own steps/boundaries then we won't have to watch out for others and remember in this case anonymity breeds contempt!