One of my teachers once told me what I thought and why I did things. I've always hated my teacher since that time- not because he was completely wrong, but because the principle of the action was disgusting. Google just decided we (gmail users) wanted this.
I even resent the public friends list on Facebook, but at least I get to decide who lands there (unlike the initial Buzz rollout). As a result, I don't use Facebook actively and just add people as friends because it's perceived to be rude if I don't. I've noticed I'm not the only one - there seems to be a pattern: someone discovers Facebook (note that it's only recently become popular in Austria; it was practically unknown outside the web scene in 2008), get excited and add all their friends, post pictures, etc. and after a while remove a lot of personal details, delete photos and only participate actively by replying to others. Maybe this has already played out a few years earlier in the US.
Oddly enough, I really enjoy Twitter. I guess it's because it's very up-front about everything being public, so the temptation to post something you might regret later is reduced.