Great topic Maha. To take a similar, but slightly different tack from Alan’s – driving takes place in a civic space but Facebook is a commercial one. It’s the difference between being in a public square versus an enclosed shopping mall. I don’t have to tell you that being in a public space doesn’t *guarantee* freedom of expression, but in a commercial space there’s generally not even an expectation of free expression – the owner makes the rules. Yet, as you point out, Facebook can have some wonderful benefits – I have reconnected with old friends and made new ones in a way that I can’t imagine happening without Facebook.

So that’s why it’s so important that we keep having these conversations so that we can think critically about the space we’re in and make intentional choices about where we want to be and how we want to communicate, and why your comments are so timely and valuable.

Just one other thought, on Sean’s quote. Some people (not you or Sean or most present company) go from “the digital isn’t magic” to the “it’s just a tool” myth. A medium is not a tool – a medium acts upon us as we act upon it, in ways that can be very difficult to perceive. Facebook is more like a space than a tool, and it’s intentionally designed to encourage us to walk to certain places, look at certain things, think in certain ways – just like a shopping mall. Even when we think we’re making choices, we are pretty good at deluding ourselves about how free we really are.

BTW it’s just wonderful how you keep writing interesting stuff – it is a great contribution!