Getty
A few months ago, Facebook announced their new "Timeline", which was an optional addition to your profile that would allow you to sort your posts, pictures, and other activity by year.
In Facebook's own words, Timeline is meant to let you "Share and highlight your most memorable posts, photos and life events on your timeline. This is where you can tell your story from beginning, to middle, to now."
It's meant to let you tell your own story, and they market it as a positive tool that will let you stay closer to your friends.
Well, what about the people who DON'T want to share every minute detail of their life story to the world? After all, there's plenty of memories that people would rather keep locked up in the past. They can include anything from failed relationships to pictures of those moments of poor decision making from your university days.
"Facebook's mandatory Timeline profile update seems to me like quite an ironic attempt to remain fresh - by making your past more accessible? I'm not violently against the involuntary switch that is to happen come 1st Feb (I'd like to think that I've nothing to hide), but neither am I enticed by the idea of having my social media life put on a timeline for all to see. Isn't the point of Facebook to stay relevant and updated with newest updates from your friends, family and news? Now this timeline thing would only make it easier for your creepy stalker friends and nosey bosses in their attempts to dig up whatever skeletons from the past that you've tried hiding in your closet. Ex-boyfriend photos, not-so-sober wall posts, embarrassing dance videos, things that you thought were left far behind in your Facebook profile was recorded by the site from start to finish. And now with Timeline, it will be brought up with a simple click on that dated line," says Esther Tan, a writer at xinmsn Tech & Gadgets.
Unfortunately, it seems that those who aren't careful with their privacy settings are putting themselves in a very compromising position.
Personally, I'm not all that worried, especially since I've always been a bit of a privacy nut and have made sure that my settings were always on max. However, even though I do have plenty of people (especially family members!) on "Limited Profile", that doesn't guarantee that certain people won't see some things that you'd like to keep private.
"Recently my Dad has been quite active on the social media site. I'm not sure how he'll feel about some of the tagged photos from my exchange period in the States from a year ago. Now I have to go through all my photos and posts, scrutinize every small detail and sift out the ones that Daddy Dearest might not take too kindly to. Thankfully Facebook (to some extent) knows and respects our privacy and graciously given us 7 days post Timeline switch, to preview what's there now and to tweak or hide whatever you want before anyone else sees it. I can already imagine myself then - scrambling frantically to switch things about and going through my timeline incessantly doing a triple check, before my time is up. I think I better turn my privacy settings up a notch as well, just to be safe," added Esther.
