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I really enjoyed this erasure poem. The original document is an interesting choice, as Facebook’s terms of use is not a document loaded with powerful words. I think you made good use of this document to speak about the issue of privacy and terms of use agreements from big tech companies. As consumers, we have very little choice in terms of picking a social media platform, as it is almost required to communicate in our generation and that leads to exploitation of private data. You highlighted this aspect through the words “you are required to…” which really effectively spoke to the lack of control consumers have in comparison to Silicon Valley.
Additionally, your poem changed the terms of use agreement to highlight the government’s role in data collection. I found this through the line “Government Entity will control”. This is reminiscent of the scandals involving government data collection that is still going on and possibly the Snowden NSA leaks.
Lastly, I feel that the last line is especially powerful: “In absence of federal law, terms of use delete you”. This line spoke to me as it felt that the government is not doing enough to protect out data and our voice in social media does not matter. In essence, your poem really highlights the lack of power we have in controlling our personal data and the lack of government assistance in the matter. Great work!
Erasure poems often underscore a deeper meaning of the original text. “Terms of Use” demonstrates this technique effectively, emphasizing the idea of signing your life away to organizations like Facebook. The line that reads “you are required to follow standards, limitations, constraints, endorsements, governing law…” makes the original terms seem extremely formal, something one may not realize. Generally, people skip over the terms of use for social networks. This in turn makes Jules’ poem more effective as it truly demonstrates the things we are agreeing to despite our true lack of knowledge. Another line reads “Government Entity will control otherwise all will be deleted and replaced.” The idea that the government is involved is also something that one may not realize in an everyday situation. All of our actions are being monitored and may actually have repercussions, yet it is not something that we think about after we initially join the network. Facebook guidelines, in relation to the erasure poems, is a unique stance to take, reiterating the idea that Facebook may not be a source that should be trusted. In the past, Facebook has had issues with privacy, which gives another perspective to the poem. It leaves the reader with the question, what are we truly getting ourselves into?
Additionally, the flow of the poem is effective as it sounds almost robotic, emphasizing that this is not a completely human entity. The amount of words that remain in the poem also help its overall purpose as it plays to a level that readers are willing to actually read and analyze.