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Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

ariwriter.com

11–20 of 39 posts

Re: Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

#13
This is the exact reason I never even opened an account.

It's super creepy (I'm a just-turned-30 y.o. woman and have dealt with these sorts of creepy people even without foursquare). People who need to know where I am know where I am, or know how to find out where I am. I never understood the appeal.

Re: Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

#14
post #3

I've always been skeeved out by the location sharing services; why do I want everybody to know where I am and what I'm doing? Perhaps this is generational (I'm almost 40) as almost everybody I know younger than myself happily checks in via Foursquare or Facebook, but the comment I had upon seeing the initial Loopt demo ("so now my boss can follow me around wherever I go?") retains. It could be generational, or it cou…

I wouldn't derive any particular benefit from FourSquare if I used it, as my movement from place to place is fairly routine and predictable. However, I don't think there would really be any drawbacks if you, me, or anyone else was simply GPS-tagged and stuck in a public-queriable database.

Think about this: whenever you go out in public, there are people you don't know all around you watching everything you do, and any of them could choose to stalk you in the literal, physical sense, following you from place to place without your knowledge. Putting your location online just helps people that already care about you to find you; it doesn't increase the probability that someone who doesn't care will arbitrarily start caring (in either a beneficial or malicious sense.)

Internet location publishing just makes getting information more convenient. Nothing that was previously impossible is now possible; the barrier to entry for some things (like stalking) has just been lowered, so that people can do it without investing their whole day in casually hiding in a crowd nearby you.

Re: Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

#16
I haven't wont ever create an account. I'm 25 and as eager to jump on the next cool thing as the next guy, but I just cant fathom how this would be of any use for me. Why would I want people to know where I am? If I wanted to meet with friends I can just send them a group/broadcast message and ask who wants to meet up. I can choose whom I want to meet up with and who I don't want to provide my current location to that easy. I enjoy social media and sharing to an extent, but this type of sharing just leads to creepy situations like the ones in the the article.

Re: Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

#17
post #3

I've always been skeeved out by the location sharing services; why do I want everybody to know where I am and what I'm doing? Perhaps this is generational (I'm almost 40) as almost everybody I know younger than myself happily checks in via Foursquare or Facebook, but the comment I had upon seeing the initial Loopt demo ("so now my boss can follow me around wherever I go?") retains. It could be generational, or it cou…

i've convinced 40 year old adults to use foursquare and loopt because of the money they can save by redeeming the in-game coupons (these people are now #1 on my leader boards). it's actually fun if you try it out, although i didn't get truly hooked until i started traveling around a bit more.

Re: Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

#19
post #3

I've always been skeeved out by the location sharing services; why do I want everybody to know where I am and what I'm doing? Perhaps this is generational (I'm almost 40) as almost everybody I know younger than myself happily checks in via Foursquare or Facebook, but the comment I had upon seeing the initial Loopt demo ("so now my boss can follow me around wherever I go?") retains. It could be generational, or it cou…

Foursquare should not define location sharing. Foursquare is simple one example of it and probably not even the most popular one since Facebook came out with Places. Places for the most part is pretty private. I'm on Places but not on Facebook. I love sharing my location!

My 50+ Mom LOVES that she can keep tabs on where her sons and daughter are even as they are spread out across the country!

Location-based stuff is exactly why my mom got on facebook. It's actually useful to her and makes us all feel more connected.

Of course there are privacy issues when anything revolutionary comes around. Overtime they are taken care of--partly with technology and partly with best-use practices.

Re: Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

#20
I created an account because all my friends were doing it. However, I always felt deep down that it was weird and potentially dangerous sharing your location with the rest of the world. After reading this article I asked myself, "Do I care where my friends are? Do I want to share my location with others?" I answered "NO" to both questions and deleted my account.
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