Students across the country began uniting Tuesday to petition a Web site they used to know and love — Facebook.com.
As students signed on to get their daily Facebook fixes Tuesday morning, they saw the Web site's newly added "news feed" and "mini-feed" features, which highlight changes made to users' profiles. Whether it be adding a favorite TV show or changing a relationship status, friends' changes are highlighted as soon as users log on to Facebook.
"There's an obvious amount of people who are distraught and displeased with Facebook's news feed additions," said Kiyoshi Martinez, a University of Illinois at Springfield graduate student, who began a petition Tuesday to reverse Facebook's most recent changes.
Twenty-four hours later, the petition Martinez created with his roommate, Jeremy Pelzer, had collected more than 45,000 signatures.
"We're talking to media outlets and to anyone that will listen," Martinez said. "We hope to get enough signatures that Facebook recognizes students don't like the news feeds and works for something that benefits both Facebook and its users.
"Already, the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, knows users don't like the news feeds. As for how many (users) it will take, I really don't know. But we'll collect as many as possible until changes are made."
Martinez also created a Web site Tuesday morning, Savefacebook.com, which provides information about Facebook's new additions, protest updates and a link to sign the petition. His Facebook group, "Students for Facebook Privacy," also provides a link to his petition and Web site, along with tips for how users can join the fight. As of Wednesday night, the group more than 2,000 members.
"Facebook makes the argument that news feeds announce things that anyone can find publicly on Facebook," Martinez said. "But the difference is that the news feeds announce with a blow horn, 'So and so just hooked up,' 'This person likes this band instead of this band' — you don't even have to look for it anymore."
Megan Umulis, an MSU advertising sophomore, joined the largest anti-news feed Facebook group called "Students Against Facebook News Feed (Official Petition to Facebook)." As of Wednesday night, the group had attracted more than 460,000 members.
"I definitely think they should delete the news feed because it's too much like Myspace(.com), and it's too stalkerish," Umulis said. "I think the news feed defeats the whole purpose of sending messages on walls. I think it's too personal."
Preeti Subnani, an MSU marketing and journalism junior, also said Facebook has gone too far.
"It's creepy," she said. "It's like stalker headquarters."
Although they may be few and far between, some students aren't as outraged by Facebook's news feed. Celia McIntosh, a business sophomore, enjoys some of the new features.
"I like when it says what your friends updated," McIntosh said. "Because before, you'd go and you couldn't figure out what they updated. Now it says exactly what they updated."
No matter which side a student is on, there are Facebook groups to support each side. Martinez recommends joining in the fight.
"Number one thing: Be civil," he said. "And look around on Facebook. There's plenty of people who have plenty of ideas, and what better way to fight Facebook than to use it?"
