Facebook: It’s a totally different sensation. Browsing Facebook is unlike browsing the web in general. When you surf the internet environment, much effort has gone into creating the sense of anonymity. The effect is convincing, despite the fact that we all know that internet use is not really anonymous — quite the opposite.

“Given total privacy and a cloak of invisibility, many people become coarse. They do selfish things — things that they would never do if a friend (or a video camera) were watching. Pornographic online chat rooms would be empty if users had to type in their real names to register. Polluting the Hudson River would be a lot harder to do if you had to meet with neighbors and explain that it was your decision. (from Small Is the New Big, by Seth Godin; quote from here)

When you browse Facebook, you need to think before each click you make…  many of your actions will appear in your profile, or in your friends’ news feeds. It generates a tension, but also an awareness of one’s actions and how they will appear to others that is almost completely lacking elsewhere.

Facebook is truly about revealing your [networking] face — it is the opposite of anonymity.
Is this a good thing? Is the the dawn of an age of accountability?