Whither the individual? Almost every person I know has a facebook or some sort of social media that they use on a daily basis. I can remember when facebook first came out mainly college students had one. It rapidly transformed into the most popular social media site in the world. Soon enough kids that could barley use a computer began to use the site as well as parents, and people in the working force. Facebook completely took over Myspace that was one of the first social media sites out there where people could meet friends and share their pictures. Facebook as a whole is very successful at getting people connected and displaying all the quality information to allow others to get to know who you are. Facebook is what connects people as a whole not confining them to there own life but allowing all to share their lives together.
With each person we meet on facebook we are extending ourselves out to others while gaining knowledge of reality. While there are those who don’t believe in and exposing themselves on a public site, there are always positives and negatives to the idea. In most cases the positives heavily out weigh the negatives when it comes to facebook. When we meet someone new and interesting it is very common to friend them on facebook. This is how we get to know a little bit more about each individual we come across in the cyber world. Each person has the opportunity to make their own unique profiles giving the whole world a chance to see what your like or even who you are. Everything from your pictures to your relationship status to your current status is displayed in your profile. All this information is how others can get a feel for who you are. In terms of “surrendering your own ego” facebook does not automatically call for it. Your mind is free to display what ever is of importance to you. Individuals are allowed to display as much as they want or even as little as possible in order to protect themselves from other viewers. In the grand scheme of things you are not abiding by the “cookie cutter” profiling but instead are free to determine your own persona.
The Internet continues to grow rapidly as there is a non-stop flow of communication and on going media stream back and forth. Constant posts on your news feed updating you about everything your friends are doing give us the opportunity to expand our knowledge. Everyone wants to be the first person to post that new song or comment on the photo album that was updated. It’s all part of interacting with people and expressing our thoughts and views. There is so much room for expressions that some people get carried away and spend every second of their lives updating others on what they are doing. This can be a quality of a facebook addict but at the same time it is just what the individual desires to do with a social network at hand. In saying this, many problems can arrive from people exposing too much information about others or even themselves.
There have been cases where people embarrassed others on facebook leading to suicide or other harmful consequences. This is where facebook can take on a bad view because people decide to use the site as a way to attack someone else. The recent gossips that we hear and see is almost destine to make its way to facebook. Although that is not always the case people out there will do anything to get attention and facebook is a free pass to the idea. For the most part, detrimental situations don’t occur often but there is always a case for everything.
Social networks have become one of the most popular ways of interacting with people, which is why it is important. The network consists of links that connect large groups of people and information. The way you perceive facebook is your own opinion. For example, if you go to a party and just watch everyone you notice the interactions and even some of the relationships people share with each other. If you go up to the wrong group of people it can ruin your perception of the party as a whole. On facebook one is allowed to select there own groups of friends and view anyone’s profile that wants to add you as a friend. This gives you the opportunity to decline or accept any friend request depending on the type of person you are and how open you are to exposing yourself to more and more people. Facebook also gives you a list of friends you share in common with every other person on the site. This is beneficial in cases where someone you don’t know friend requests because you can see if any of your friends are friends with that certain individual. In the overall picture facebook connects you to anyone else out there who is a part of it. It is up to you to figure out the similarities and differences you share with others. In the end it is your own choice to expose yourself and expand your reflection across the social web.
"There have been cases where people embarrassed others on facebook leading to suicide or other harmful consequences. This is where facebook can take on a bad view because people decide to use the site as a way to attack someone else."
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad truth to see the effects of cyber bullying unfold in the news or in your personal life. I have followed cases throughout the years on cyber bullying in where parents bully kids, a student posts nasty things about a roommate, and teenage girls rip apart one another with words - it is most unfortunate. Bullying has always been around, however, cyber bullying allows the aggressor to easily sit behind the comfort of their screen and unleash their actions. It is a problem that schools, parents, and kids now have to deal with.
However, social media sites can offer just the opposite of bullying; they can offer support and comfort. One of the most recent observations of cyber comforting was when my drama teacher passed away in my senior year of high school. At the funeral was a large bulletin board of comments that were posted on her recently developed Facebook memorial page. Over three hundred comments shard uplifting, funny, and unreal stories that made people understand the legacy left behind of her life. Many of these stories would have never been revealed if it were not for Facebook and would have been forever lost. I predict that Facebook memorial pages will continue to be a growing trend at future funerals. The overall point I am trying to make is that, yes, social media sites can enforce cyber bullying, but, they have the power to comfort others, as well.