Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg as a hobby project during his time at Harvard. Within months, Facebook began to spread through the dorms of Harvard and its ideas were accepted by many students. Inevitably, word gets around, and Facebook had reached the ears of students at Stanford and Yale; like Harvard, it was widely endorsed. Before Zuckerberg knew it, Facebook had become the new “in” for student social networking. Today it ranks as number one in social networking, topping MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, hi5, and Bebo. Facebook has undoubtedly increased the ways that people can communicate and interact, but at the same time it can harm the well-being of humans.
Over 140 million people worldwide, and still growing, have joined the social networking phenomenon. Facebook users have gained the ability to keep in touch with loved ones, friends, business partners, and meet new people. In this aspect, Facebook is viewed as a positive addition to the world, and it is true. However, people tend to only notice the positive factors without looking at the negative ones. The popularity of Facebook resides in early teenagers and college students. The problem that Facebook can create is ironic itself. One word that can sum up Facebook is “friends,” and that same word is also the problem.
Having many friends is a good thing, but is having enough ever enough? For some teenagers, this is a question that leaves many feeling insecure and judgmental about themselves and others. This psychological effect causes some teens to want more friends, because the more friends you have the better right? This is not true at all. If people started to add others just for that sole purpose, then they would just end up hurting themselves and ruin the ideal that Facebook built. It creates insecurity and causes them to judge themselves.
Facebook does not only affect people that have “a lot” of friends, but those who do not. In some ways, the amount of friends that people have can cause others to judge you. For example, a person that has 48 friends might be judged as unpopular and weird. The service of uploading photos becomes a huge issue of being judged. People will always upload photos of themselves, and the fact that they are easily accessible makes people “vulnerable.” People can access them and the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” can come to haunt someone.
Facebook can be a safe, easy way to keep in touch with friends, if one knows how to use it. It's great to see what going on in your loved ones lives, reflect on how you feel, and look at pictures of friends but there are also many dangers that people have to deal with on a daily basis. The problem with Facebook is that anyone can create an account. It doesn't matter if one is 8 or 98 anybody can go on and get access into this social network. People do add "friends" that they don't even know just to show that they aren't that outcast that only has 46 friends. By having this unknown "friend", that person can have a hidden identity and can now have access into your pictures, friends, personal information, and that person can see everything that you write on you wall. For all you know this person who now has access to a lot of information could be a 45 year old serial killer. Anybody can uploads pictures from the internet and make up a fake name and age. I have heard of many stories where young boys or girls get raped, murdered, or kidnapped because they met a stranger on a social networking site who got a hold of their personal information and tracked them down. Some people put up where they live, their age, their full name, what school they go to, and pictures. If any stranger got all of the information it would be so easy to track them down without anybody noticing it.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem with Facebook is that some people tend to put up inappropriate pictures exposing themselves to everyone. Once a picture is uploaded to Facebook it's there forever and majority of the people on Facebook can access it. A picture is worth a thousand words and it can really ruin your reputation, future, career, or friendships. Many Colleges, Workplaces, and Athletic Coaches go on to Facebook and look at your profile page and view your pictures. I have known many people who don't get jobs, get kicked off of sports teams, and have gotten in trouble with the police, their college, their friends, and their parents because of what they had on there Facebook page. It is very important that people know how to use Facebook in a safe fun way because that one little mistake can cost someone their future.
Ok yes Facebook can potentially harm people. But that would not be the case if people secured their page correctly. If you secure your page then people will not see what you have on your wall or you pictures if you don't want them too, only your "friends" will see the information that YOU decide to put out there. People do have to be responsible on Facebook in order to protect themselves against any potential threat there is out there.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I do believe that Facebook has a ultimately positive effect on people. I know it has a positive effect on me. Facebook allows me to stay in touch, easily, with my friends who are at other colleges and whom I don't get to see that often any more. It also allows me to stay in touch with family who I also don't get to see that often. Today especially, it is my birthday, and when I go on to Facebook and see all the posts on my wall wishing me a happy birthday it makes me feel really good that all these people are wishing me a happy birthday when they didn't have to do that.
In the end, the effect that Facebook has on you all depends on what you put into it. If you secure your page and become friends with the people who really want to be your friends and not with some strangers, and put the information out there that won't get you in trouble then yes Facebook will have a very positive effect on you.
I think Facebook can be a positive communication network for people. I believe it is a good way in keeping touch and communicating with family and friends. I like being able to talk to my friends who are now at college far away from me, and seeing pictures of them. I do not agree with those that say Facebook is dangerous. It is the responsibility of the Facebook user to make sure they are using it safely; they have control over everything. The user can decide who to add as a friend, what information to post about themselves, what pictures they want people to see, and what to write on other people’s pages. It is also possible to make your Facebook page private. If I could, however, change one thing about Facebook I would. I would not allow just anybody to become a member. To me, it does not make sense that young kids, like my neighbor who is six, are using Facebook because I feel as though they are most prone to making mistakes on the Internet. I feel like they are the ones that are adding people they should not. In conclusion, I think Facebook is a good way to stay connected with friends and family.
ReplyDeleteI think that Facebook is a great way to stay connect or reconnect with old friends and family. However, I also think that it can be harmful to ones social interaction with others. Having conversations on Facebook are more comfortable for people because they don't have to talk face to face and can take their time before commenting. A the slightest hint at an boring or awkward situation, "i gtg bye" suffices as a legitimate excuse. But in the real world, we need to know how to be able to handle ourselves in these situations and won't be able to just go offline.
ReplyDeleteI do think that facebook is a good way to reconnect with old classmates and friends. I do think that, because you could maybe plan to get together with those friends out in public and see what they are up to. It is also good to chat with friends and plan events in front of friends so that you don't have to bother getting their phione number. Facebook is safe, because you get the option of posting stuff only that your friends want to see, or show it in public. You do want to be careful of what you post though, because one little post could get you in trouble. For example, on the news, I heard a teacher geot fired by posting a comment on Facebook complaining about her students. I would not post something like that on Facebook. If I were to post a comment on Facebook, I would post something that is safe and would not harm my friends in any way.
ReplyDeleteFacebook for the majority of its users is a highly beneficial tool. I personally use Facebook to keep in touch with old friends who I wouldn’t speak to by any other means. I also use it to talk to my friend studying abroad and my relatives who live far away can talk to me and see what and how I am doing. No one is forced to have a Facebook if they feel threatened or if it causes insecurities they can get rid of it or not make one at all. If you are comparing your number of friends to other peoples you don’t have your priorities set. Just because you are Facebook friends doesn’t mean you are real friends, which are the ones that matter most. I also completely agree that Facebook should have an age requirement children make mistakes and on social networks such as this they can get into big trouble. Facebook used responsibly and with the correct mindset is a harmless way to keep in touch with the world, not a way to emotionally damage people.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that facebook has both positive and negative effects. As previously mentioned, facebook is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. In my opinion, it is the facebook users responsibility to make good decisions and judgments regarding what they put on their facebook page for all the world to see. Rebecca makes two great points, addressing some of the negative effects of facebook. More frequently, I have turned on the news and tend to hear the negative aspects of facebook (ex. facebook being used to lure children to meet strangers etc.) Also, another negative aspect of facebook is that bosses look through potential job candidates facebook pages and take their page into consideration more often even before they conduct a job interview with that candidate. Would you want your potential boss to make their first impression on you based upon your facebook page? Is facebook worth this risk?
ReplyDeleteCheck out: http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/use-facebook-to-check-out-potential-employees-bosses-told.html
Like others have said Facebook can have some positive and negative effects. If people used it responsibly it could be a great thing. you can keep in touch with friends or family that you may not have anyother way to stay connected. However I believe that too many people tend to do dumb stuff on Facebook like posting about someone else or putting up pictures that should not be shown to everyone. There are also risks when it comes to who you accept as a friend. I know people that regardless of if the know the person will accept them which can then give them the ability to see things that you have set for friends only. Often people do overlook the fact that employers will use sites such as Facebook to get a first impression of who you are. This can end badly if you have something on there that you do not want them to see.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that facebook can provide a person with many benefits. Like many of you already mentioned it is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family especially now that we are living away at college. I also find that facebook can be very beneficial to many schools or clubs that want to set up a facebook group. Facebook provides members of the groups with an easy way to stay in touch and share information. Another useful aspect of facebook is the event tab, which really makes it easy for anyone to create a successful event. As expressed above facebook also does have some negative aspects to it. I personally feel that most of these problems can be easily solved if you use the proper safety settings for your page and really try to monitor what you post on facebook. If you are thinking of posting something that you know you would not want everyone in the world to see, then simply do not post it. However, I think a major problem with facebook is cyber bullying. It is a lot easier for people to say hurtful things over facebook then to someone’s face. I think this causes some people to get carried away with what they post on other people’s pages. Overall, I think facebook is a great tool in today’s society that can be perfectly safe as long as we use it responsibly.
ReplyDeleteI agree that facebook is useful because it helps to stay in touch with your friends and relatives when you are far away. Also, it helps to find some friends, who, you lost contact with. Even though, facebook has some negative aspects, which includes, everyone watching your pictures, everyone having access to your personal information and in some cases, in latin american countries, kidnappers use it as a mean to gather information about the pray. In brief, facebook has possitive and negative aspects, but if you use it well, it can be very useful.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a majority of these people. I love reconnecting with old friends, talking to family when I'm away from home, and meeting new people. I have a lot of Facebook friends, and I do have my page secured as private. I also am cautious about what I post and upload, but sometimes I find that people on Facebook are very intrusive. It can be hard to remember that what is put on Facebook is seen by thousands of people every day. Even though Facebook has its benefits, I almost feel like it has only created more problems for me. For example, because of Facebook, I can spend countless hours on my laptop completely procrastinating my homework. Also, an important overlooked issue on Facebook is cyber bullying and harrassment. It happens way too often and is public for everyone to see. I personally have been attacked on Facebook before and can honestly say it was the most embarrassing and horrific experience I had ever gone through. Yes, I do my best to be responsible on the Internet, but unfortunately, not everyone is that mature.
ReplyDeleteFacebook like any other social network has its pros and cons, but the most important thing is the user itself. If one is enable to manage their privacy it can do some damage. It is base on each individual decision whether they wants to put out all their personal information or not, but it comes with consequences. For example,someone could be out there stalking you, or wants to hurt you, they will have all the information they need to track you down. It is a scary world and people can do unimaginable things so we should all think twice before we can make suck mistake. One little mistake can cause you your life. Not only that it can take up a lot of time from everyday life. Of course Facebook is a great way to connect with friends and loved ones but there are limits. The users should be aware of what of the things that might affect them.
ReplyDeletei <3 facebook..enough said
ReplyDeleteI agree that facebook can give positive impact and negative impact on everyone who create the account. The factors that lead people to join facebook are making friends, entertainment, keep connection with old friends and create close connection with new friends. Everyone has different personality. Some people are interactive and like to socialize with others without any hesitation. Others find it is hard to make friends because they are shy or afraid that they might not be welcome among other people in the society. So they use facebook to chat and find friends instead of talking face to face. Most college students make new friends through facebook prior their arrival to the new school. It is helpful that they can exchange their opinions and express their feeling to each other about how adapt to the new place. They increase confidence that they will not be lonely in the new place. Some people find facebook as the resource of reducing stress. When they feel unhappy or need comfort, they post their words on facebook wall. Their friends will see it and give comments to soothe them. They might play games to take their mind away from stress. They will remember their friends forever because they see their friends’ picture on facebook.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that facebook can create negative affect on the users. Adding friends whom we never know can lead to danger, posting inappropriate pictures and comments can make other people lose their respect over us, and log in facebook for many hours can increase procrastination about school work or job. It is all depend on us to decide who should we share our pictures, and information with.