Mark Zuckerberg, opened up advertising on Facebook last year taking the approach of \u2018social actions\u2019 of its users. He explains it in his press release that \u201cThe core of every user\u2019s experience on Facebook is their page and that\u2019s where (all) businesses are going to start as well. Social actions are powerful because they act as trusted referrals and reinforce the fact that people influence people. Social Ads can appear either within a user\u2019s News Feed as sponsored content or in the ad space along the left side of the site.\u201d (Read: Are Facebook ads conversational marketing?)<\/p>\n
If you become the \u2018Fan\u2019 of a product that has Facebook profile, then that product can insert your name and profile directly into their pitches. According to Facebook, a user has to take a “social action” in order to trigger the appearance of their name and picture in an advertisement. This is not restricted to only becoming a fan of any product. According to Facebook spokesperson Brandee Barker, that could be almost any activity that the user does on Facebook, “such as the download of an application and the acceptance of a friend request.” It could also include becoming a “fan” of a business by clicking a link on that company’s Facebook page.<\/p>\n
How many of us are aware of the results of Facebook\u2019s so called social actions? Currently, nothing tells the user that this is the underlying criteria while you perform any action on Facebook. So if you decide to become a fan of a particular drink, don\u2019t be surprised to see your face and name appearing next time on someone\u2019s else profile page. There is no choice given to the user whether he or she would like their details to appear for any ad.<\/p>\n
There should be a change made in this system whether it clearly spells out what you are getting into or have an \u2018opt out\u2019 option. As of now the only way to avoid this is by avoiding associating yourself with any corporate brands on Facebook.<\/p>\n
William McGeveran, University of Minnesota law professor, who wrote extensively about Social Ads’ possible legal ramifications when the platform was announced, the problem is that users may be unwittingly lending their likenesses to advertising campaigns. “I would expect it to make many users uncomfortable to see their images appropriated this way for commercial purposes if they didn’t have warning and didn’t give true consent in advance.”<\/p>\n
I personally adore Facebook and the fact that it has helped me in connecting with friends I never thought I would ever meet. But beware before becoming a complete fan!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mark Zuckerberg, opened up advertising on Facebook last year taking the approach of \u2018social actions\u2019 of its users. He explains it in his press release that \u201cThe core of every user\u2019s experience on Facebook is their page and that\u2019s where (all) businesses are going to start as well. Social actions are powerful because they act as trusted referrals and reinforce the fact that people influence people. Social Ads can appear either within a user\u2019s News Feed as sponsored content or in the ad space along the left side of the site.\u201d (Read: Are Facebook ads conversational marketing?)
\nIf you become the …<\/p>\n