Privacy on Facebook

The sense of privacy in our generation is changing drastically. Online, the issue of privacy is seen as what others are seeing on a user's page or what others may be posting on their page. This is different in the past, in that, before people were more concerned with how their information could be used and abused by the government and banks, etc. (Aliases, creeping, and wall cleaning: Understanding privacy in the age of Facebook) Facebookers are able to find others through "tags" on photos and through posts on one's newsfeed. This is creating a sense of transparency that can be exciting and interesting but not always beneficial. Users onlineoften admit to abusing the privacy policies, going through loopholes found in the tagging of photos to get to user's they may not be friends with and also using false names to be able to look through other people's information. Even so, users still supply large amounts of information. With users admitting to abusing information, it is suprising that they feel exempt to the "creeping" and are not voicing the need for more privacy. In a world where you name, birthday, phone number, email, relationship status, place of residence, hometown, occupation, schooling, posts, photos, interests are all up publicly, companies, fraud, and even stalkers could easily get ahold of this information. Although, with Facebook being more and more a crucial way of communication it is less about not getting on Facebook or having one and more about how we can control the release of information. Being aware of the concerns can help the community and further encourage Facebook creators to change and modify privacy and how it is presented on the site.

The Profile Picture: Judging people through online profiles.

In The Role of Friends’ Appearance and Behavior on Evaluations of Individuals on Facebook, Josh Walther and others propose the effects of getting to know someone through online sources such as Facebook. Onlookers tend to make quick judgements about the profile and the person behind the profile. The pictures posted on one's profile is seen as a direct reflection of who they are and their physical attractiveness. A photo taken with a more physically attractive person, or a post from a physically attractive person can then result in users believing that person is more attractive after the fact, this can also work visa versa. Another judgement that can possibly be made is the type of posts on a one's profile. If the posts are regularly positive, users tend to be predisposed to believe that person's life is put together, again this can be turned around.

Facebook users often believe they have complete control over their "self-image" on their page and how they want to disclose personal information. This may not be completely true, other users have a great influence on the user's "image". Therefore when using Facebook, the amount of information and what detail from other flooding in should be noted. Although, should we be worried about preconceived notions from people barely known to us? Before social networking, experience and face value was solely the source of judgement on a person. We cannot base people's character only on their profile that has been sifted through, posted on and made to perfection by the user, its simply not the true depiction of that person.

Visual Argument

This represents the youngest generation and how eventually we will only find identity in our Facebook page. If you notice, on the computer is her profile picture, and that is the identity of an individual on Facebook. Also notice the "original" photo is black and white, representing the "old" way and the tradition way on connecting: face-to-face. The new color photo represents where our generation is going. We need to evaluate if on-screen is how we want to connect and grow our relationships.