Week 4 - Facebook or Not to Facebook

Pros

Facebook is a very popular social networking site with nearly 3 billion users. In fact, it's become such a part of people's lives that you can tell their life story just by looking at their page, their friends, likes and dislikes, relationship status, phone numbers, addresses, everything. Sounds a bit dangerous. Facebook has both positive and negative effects on people, and the effects can be considerable. Stay Connected with Family and Friends. Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with family and friends who live far away. It is the perfect environment to stay connected through instant messaging and even video chat because it  keeps you up to date with all your closest friends through status updates, photos, and profile information. Facebook makes meeting new people extremely easy as it allows you to add thousands of friends and acts as the social melting pot of the internet. If you comment on a friend's status and one of their friends comments back, maybe the two of you will start a conversation. This can lead to strong friendships down the road. Most people find it much easier to strike up a conversation with someone on Facebook than in real life, so many high school relationships tend to start there. Facebook makes it easy to express yourself through status updates. From showing off your favorite lyrics to posting photos of your new outfit, Facebook is the most common way people express themselves today. It's much harder to feel embarrassed online than in person, so people find it easier to "vent" their feelings on Facebook.

Cons

On the other hand, Facebook could also case huge effect negatively. Cyberbullying can easily thrive on Facebook. They can harass or gang up on an individual more easily than in a school setting. There are no moderators hanging around monitoring what people are saying to each other. You can say anything. There are also relatively few parents who have Facebook accounts and stay in touch with their children. Facebook is a cause of insecurity because it makes people compare themselves to others. How could you not when all you see on News Feed are photos of friends and acquaintances. Facebook is a very stalker-friendly site. In theory, someone you don't even know could say they went to your school, added you, and got all your information. This may include your phone number, home address and places you frequently visit. Not to mention they will be able to look through all of your photos and get to know you completely without you even knowing. It's a scary thought, but a real problem.