Facebook, one of the first social media websites created for recent generations, was a popular attraction during its first few years online. After websites like Instagram and Twitter were released, however, Facebook lost some of its users. Younger generations seemed to have more interest in the newer websites, and Facebook was what we students called “social media for moms”.

Now, Facebook seems to be losing even more of its users. This is not because of newer websites gaining popularity, but rather security concerns within Facebook itself. Some users noticed that the social networking site was recommending friends based not just off of mutual friends or interests, but rather, they had been using location to suggest friends. The site admitted to doing so, claiming that they combined data with other factors such as work, education information, and mutual friends. Many users found that this information was not something that they prefer to be shared. Facebook was choosing to share this information without the permission of the users. There are now no truly private accounts on the site.

It is understandable why the website would want to connect as many people as they possibly could; the site thrives off of advertising. In order to expand, they are constantly finding new ways to connect everyone. The more open people’s profiles are, the more information advertising sites can take from them. In a completely altruistic world, Facebook’s main concern would be the safety and security of its users, but Facebook is a business, and they must make money somehow.

So, should we keep using Facebook? Or should we follow the #DeleteFacebook trend? Personally, I am not a user of Facebook. I recently created an account to help me find roommates for colleges, but other than that, I have never used the site. I am not a credible source to really say if Facebook is worth keeping since I have not experienced enough of the sites benefits. But, from the research I’ve done, it seems Facebook has noticed their faults and is starting to make changes. I also believe that this is something we have to get used to. The world is becoming increasingly digital, and with this, we are bound to lose some privacy. We can search almost anything online and find almost anyone, Facebook is not the only site that has these security problems. By creating accounts on any of these websites, we are choosing to put personal information on the internet. Most of this problem is within our control, and it’s all about what we, individually, choose to share.