I only use Facebook and not Twitter or FourSquare. I use Facebook on a pretty regular daily basis since it allows me to stay updated with my social life and my friends. I find it easy to connect to friends, especially those who live overseas. My best friend who is studying abroad in London updated her status with the following: “Facebook really does make it easy to stay connect”. I completely agree with that statement since I am able to follow up on her happenings through her Facebook updates and photo uploads. I use Facebook to communicate with my friends who are in Vietnam (which is interesting because Facebook is blocked in Vietnam) because it is so much more convenient and less expensive than a phone call. Talking on the phone would require a sync up respective of the time difference and a purchase of an international phone card.
I find that every time I turn on my computer, I would log into Facebook to see if there are any new updates. Each time I check my Facebook when I turn on my computer, I would probably spend a good 20 minutes to half an hour reading people’s updates and browsing through newly uploaded photos. I also have a blackberry which allows me to receive Facebook updates throughout the day when I do not have my laptop with me. Within a day, I probably spend about an average of 2 hours surfing through Facebook. I may not spend 2 hours at once on facebook, but the numerous amounts of time that I check Facebook throughout the day with each time ranging from 5-15 minutes add up.
I do not think I text that often since I only text when I have something to ask to tell a friend. I don’t use text a form of “chatting” because I find it is slightly inconvenient in comparison typing on a laptop. Every time I am bored, I would turn to my phone to find a source of entertainment to past time; often times, that would involve me scrolling through Facebook statuses.
I think this cultural move toward social networking, constant access, and the loss of privacy is a trend that contains both positive and negative aspect. One of its most positive impacts is “making the world a smaller place”. These social networking sites allow the users to easily be connected to the rest of the world and to be constantly updated. At the same time however, the constant update may result in a loss of privacy. Because everything that is posted on the internet is available to the public, one must assume that the entire world can read their post. This certainly is a drawback to the social sites, but the users can be careful and choose to not reveal certain personal information. Another scary thought is the possibility of these sites archiving the information that we provide through their services. I would not be surprised if identities can be replicated based on our Facebook profile.
A benefit of the relationship between our personal lives and technology is that we are able to share our joy and achievements with others through several clicks of the mouse. We can instantly post pictures from our birthday celebration and graduation. There are other drawbacks such as when employers would view Facebook photos to see if a candidate is fit for a position in the company. The employer could certainly find criminating photos that would hurt his/her chances of getting hired. Furthermore, for those that post their relationship statuses on Facebook, what happens when you break up with someone? There comes the awkward part where you update your status to “single”.
As for me, I have never really posted something have regretted because I am always weary of who might be able to read the information. I stand more on the conservative side of using social networking sites because I know that the public can access any information that I choose to reveal, so therefore, I choose to not reveal that much information about me. However, if I do happen to regret posting something, I would most likely choose to delete the post as soon as I can; although I know that the information has already reach at least one pair of eyes by the time I deleted it. I am concerned about my privacy when using these tools which is why I don’t post that much information about myself. For example, I would only post photos that I feel comfortable having the public viewing and having Facebook place into its archive.
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