As the adolescent world gets more addicted to Facebook, our virtual selves become more and more complex. Facebook profiles allow us to share information about ourselves, photos and videos give a visual representation of us, and "wall"s allow us to publicly share interactions with friends. Since Facebook allows users to share information about themselves, they are given customized privacy options. While there are many ways we can view Facebook as a game, one way is by asking ourselves: "Who can see me and what can they see?" Some of you reading this may be confused how that question is at all a game, but it appears that at this age, who can see you and what they can see is all purposely manipulated. This customization of your privacy settings on your virtual identity is in a sense this magic circle, and within the guidelines of Facebook (the privacy settings available to you), you are free to play around with this identity that others can (or can't) see. If you're not convinced yet, let's think about possible winners and losers in this situation. Winners seem to be those people who can perfectly manipulate their privacy settings so everyone they wan't to see is able to see their profile, and anyone who they may not want to see it is unable to access their information. How can anyone lose? Well let's just say, we're not all smart enough to realize people we may not want to see our pictures and profiles, such as potential employers! Also, not everyone can block people from seeing them very slyly and this can often cause drama, which would also classify you as a loser. How do you explain blocking certain albums from your parents?
How do you guys play this privacy game? Do you forgo the luxury of the customized privacy options and let the world see your pictures and profile? Do you let friends see everything? Do you let friends of friends see pictures? What situations push you into this customization game?
For those of you who didn't know Facebook privacy existed,
Recent news about the diminishing privacy of Facebook? Interesting NY Times Article!
For anyone interested- awesome 60 Minutes on Mark Zuckerberg! See what he has to say!
This is a very good question. I refuse to be friends with certain people like my parents for that very reason of privacy and also the whole idea that i don't want to think about my parents every time i make a post or do anything at all on facebook. It is crazy to think that employers and recruiters are starting to look at facebook more and more and are judging potential recruits based off a few pictures and even their friends pictures which are usually not indicative of potential job performance in any way.
You blog proposed very interesting questions and scenarios that are all too familiar to me. Facebook really does act as a game. Along with manipulating your settings so that some people can see your information while others can't, people can also alter the way in which a person will view them. They can stress certain interests, looks, and attitudes, while hiding others. Also, I think many people use Facebook as a starting point to communicate their thoughts. If they receive positive feedback from their Facebook friends, then they might feel more comfortable sharing these thoughts in person and directly with other people. In this sense, people can use Facebook to test the waters. Another way that Facebook is a game, although this makes it a disturbing one, is that people can actually take on other identities. People create Facebooks under the names of other people, namely likely famous people. For example, when I was in high school, someone created a Facebook under the name, Brandon Knight. Brandon was in my graduating class and is currently in his first year in the NBA, playing for the Detroit Pistons. At the time, Brandon had his own Facebook. However, someone else created another one under his name and started posting things. This fake Brandon was extremely arrogant and pretentious - basically the complete opposite of the real Brandon. Although this way of manipulating the game is probably illegal (identity-theft), it represents a way in which people use Facebook as a game.
This is a very good question. I refuse to be friends with certain people like my parents for that very reason of privacy and also the whole idea that i don't want to think about my parents every time i make a post or do anything at all on facebook. It is crazy to think that employers and recruiters are starting to look at facebook more and more and are judging potential recruits based off a few pictures and even their friends pictures which are usually not indicative of potential job performance in any way.
ReplyDeleteYou blog proposed very interesting questions and scenarios that are all too familiar to me. Facebook really does act as a game. Along with manipulating your settings so that some people can see your information while others can't, people can also alter the way in which a person will view them. They can stress certain interests, looks, and attitudes, while hiding others. Also, I think many people use Facebook as a starting point to communicate their thoughts. If they receive positive feedback from their Facebook friends, then they might feel more comfortable sharing these thoughts in person and directly with other people. In this sense, people can use Facebook to test the waters.
ReplyDeleteAnother way that Facebook is a game, although this makes it a disturbing one, is that people can actually take on other identities. People create Facebooks under the names of other people, namely likely famous people. For example, when I was in high school, someone created a Facebook under the name, Brandon Knight. Brandon was in my graduating class and is currently in his first year in the NBA, playing for the Detroit Pistons. At the time, Brandon had his own Facebook. However, someone else created another one under his name and started posting things. This fake Brandon was extremely arrogant and pretentious - basically the complete opposite of the real Brandon. Although this way of manipulating the game is probably illegal (identity-theft), it represents a way in which people use Facebook as a game.