JCOM 2160: Reading Assignment #3

I found the comic strip quite funny. People are so cautious about stalkers/creepers having the ability to access personal information about them on the internet when really the vast majority just simplify that process for anyone that would be searching and post all of the details of their life on their Facebook profile. I have found that my skepticism about the whole online profile was quickly depleted after I saw just how many of my friends were on Facebook. (I thought if Chelsea, Ashley, Zach, etc. are all putting themselves out there then it must be ok.) With the way technology is expanding so rapidly it is essential to have the technological capabilities including a presence on the World Wide Web. Social networking has provided a fast and simple way for employers to seek potential employees with a click of the mouse. In turn, it has also simplified the process of getting noticed in the corporate world for those seeking employment.
I do agree with Debra Bruno (the mother in the article) and the point she made that Facebook has certainly changed the way we connect with people. It has caused us to become less personal. I truly hate when I know who someone is just because we are Facebook friends- not because we took the same psychology class or because they helped me with a flat tire but because they searched on “Mike’s” list of friends and added me. It then in turn becomes awkward when you vaguely remember their face from the “friend confirmation” but you can’t put your finger on how or where you know them from, because in reality you don’t know them. Facebook profiles allow others to learn all about you in a very impersonal way. It is interesting because I have found myself reading profiles of acquaintances and afterwards subconsciously deciding if I wanted to strive to become better friends with them based off of their interests, political views, hometown, etc. I am not judgmental but I think that everyone does this without even realizing it. I have found that there are people who are constantly posting their life through pictures which in turn makes them seem to be fun and adventurous therefore, making others want to be involved with their adventures. I have found it so amazing that such a wide variety of people join the Facebook bandwagon. I have sat in the computer labs on campus for hours at a time while the person next to me spends that whole time staring at their friend’s wedding pictures.
I do have a wishy-washy opinion of Facebook because I realize some of these silly, time-wasting things, but then for some reason I continue to keep my Facebook profile active. There are both positive and negative aspects to Facebook.