ESSAY

At the end of the essay please view my comment.

I constructed my own question:

Do Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites (SNS) allow individuals to create an identity, and a sense of security that they may or may not have offline? 

  Facebook and other SNS allow their users to construct an identity. This construction is created through applications, status updates, photos, customized profiles (MySpace) and accumulating ‘friends’. Parents and media bring up security issues constantly, in terms of Facebook and MySpace; however social networking site users do have control over their profiles privacy and security. SNS allow individuals a chance to express themselves and provides a medium between online and offline communication.

 SNS such as Facebook and MySpace allow users to express themselves and create an identity, which is presented on their profile.  Nicole Ellison states just this in her essay: “The Benefits of Facebook ‘Friends:’ Social Capital and College Students' use of Online Social Network Sites” “…Facebook and MySpace allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others.” (Ellison, N. 2007, article 1) As Ellison is stating, these sites are merely tools in which individuals can manipulate to their creative advantage. MySpace is a prime example of this, on creation the site left open a technological loophole; this loophole allows individuals to customize and create their profiles however they wish, (Boyd, D. 2007, p.16) maximising identity construction. Facebook on the other hand, allows users to take part in quizzes and add applications to reflect their personality. As these sites emerged (both founded in early 2004) (ChurchBase. 2007, 20.10.09) they have provided individuals (teenagers and youth in particular) with a sense of community, identity and communication. (Henderson-Janie, D. 2008) However, SNS have received a lot of bad press regarding online verses offline communication. Concerns have been raised over the affects Facebook and MySpace have on their users offline communication skills. Pavica Sheldon argues that anxiety and loneliness are the two key components that drive teens to use Facebook. (Sheldon, P. 2008) These concerns are simply paranoia due to a lack of knowledge on the sites. SNS are a place to ‘hang out’ and socialize with friends. Many who join Facebook and MySpace do so to communicate with friends and share their values with others, as these sites have a strong sense of community. ("But Are We Really Friends?” 2008) These sites should not be treated with discouragement and suspicion as they allow individuals the freedom to creatively express themselves, which integrates into their offline social life and provides them with a broader social network. Despite SNS providing positive social attributes, security and privacy issues are considered to be the sites main weakness.

 SNS allow users to feel secure in their social communities and networks; however it is important that users are aware of how to maintain the privacy of their profiles. Facebook and MySpace make it very easy for their users to forget about security issues. Most Facebook users would not know that installing an application not only gives the company that developed that application access to all their personal information, but also all of their friends personal information too! (Marwick, A. 2009) Users get caught up in making social ties and constructing an identity they forget to check their profiles privacy. A lot of teens believe that Facebook (Facebook Privacy Policy, 20.10.09) is more security conscious than MySpace; (MySpace Privacy Policy, 20.10.09) however most users are unaware that by joining ‘networks’ (such as schools or neighbourhoods) they are giving anyone who is also a member of that network immediate access to their profile. (Boyd, D. 2007) The security users feel when logging onto their profile is not the same as being aware of what private information is being presented to the public. More so now, than when MySpace was first introduced, users are urged to set their profile to ‘private’ allowing only their friends and friends they ‘accept’ to view their information. (Boyd, D. 2007) When first creating your profile most users are unaware that your profile can be set to private or public (public allowing anyone to view your information). SNS need to be more open about security factors on their sites; in doing so they will educate their users and allow them to make an informed decision on how they want to deal with the privacy of their profile. Users simply need to take more of an interest in security and privacy, that way they can be aware of what audience is viewing their information. SNS are a new medium in allowing individuals to communicate with others, (especially in a University environment) (Boogart, M.R. 2006) however this new phenomenon needs to be used with knowledge of security and privacy.

 SNS allow users to construct an identity that is both part of their online and offline communication. Facebook and MySpace allow users to express themselves through profile construction. These SNS are tools of creativity and should be valued in terms of creating a social medium for all users. Although identity construction is a major part of these sites, users must also be aware of security and privacy. Although users feel safe and secure in their social networks, having a broad knowledge of their profiles privacy, and protecting themselves in terms of information exposure is an important aspect when using these sites. Facebook and MySpace provide a new social medium between online and offline communication, as they blur the lines. These SNS are prefect examples of giving power to worldwide individual expressionism in a creative, (and when used properly) safe and social environment.

List of Sources:

 

Journal Entries:

 Boogart, M. R, (2006) Uncovering the social impacts of Facebook on a college campus.

 Henderson-Janie, D. (2008) ‘Welcome to Facebook: Changing The Boundaries of Identity, Community And Disclosure’.

Sheldon, P. (2008) ‘The Relationship Between Unwillingness-to-Communicate and Students' Facebook Use’.

"But Are We Really Friends?": Online Social Networking and Community in Undergraduate Students (2008) Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.

 

Websites:

Boyd, D. (2007)  ‘Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life.’ MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning – Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Volume (ed. David Buckingham). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Found: Boyd, D. ‘Danah Boyd, Who am I?’ http://www.danah.org/ viewed: (20.10.09)

CrunchBase: ‘Facebook and Myspace Creation’ (2009) http://www.crunchbase.com/company/facebook viewed: (20.10.09)

Ellison, N. B. (2007), ‘The Benefits of Facebook "friends:" Social Capital and College Students' use of Online Social Network Sites’. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 1. Found: Ellison, N.B, Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007)  http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/ellison.html viewed: (20.10.09)

‘Facebook Principles’ (Nov, 26. 2008) http://www.facebook.com/policy.php?ref=pf viewed: (20.10.09)

Marwick, A (2009) ‘There’s No Hiding on Facebook’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/05/facebook-privacy-beacon-lawsuit viewed: (20.10.09)

‘Privacy Policy’ (Feb, 28. 2008) http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.privacy viewed: (20.10.09)