Facebook Graph Search Its Unintentional Consequences

This is the cry that could be heard far and wide with the introduction of Facebook’s new Graph Search.

“This is not what I signed up for!”

In theory, Graph Search is a dedicated search engine within the Facebook community — the “third pillar” as Zuckerberg has described it. If I’m looking for the best pizza liked by people in New Haven who also like beer and are between the ages of 23 and 25, Graph Search can help! But with the insane amount of publicly shared data already amassed in profiles, some of the results garnered could unintentionally create embarrassing and compromising combinations.

As it stands, many people who use Facebook do not fully comprehend what is truly “Public”, and therein lies the issue. If Graph Search combines your information out of context, users will begin to question what and how much they will be willing to share. They will tighten-up their profiles or worse, may bag the platform all together.

For marketers, this shift in user behavior could have staggering consequences.

While we’re on the subject, you may want to have a look at your own privacy settings. Stay safe!

Learn more about how to protect your privacy from Facebook’s Graph Search