Is Facebook Providing Fertile Grounds for Stalking?
Facebook Bumper Sticker
To the average 19 or 20-something year-old, Facebook is cool. It’s the more “grown up” version of Myspace. But for those of us who have been in the social media loop for a while, sites like these can tend to get a little dull if there’s not much else going on, which leads to the idea of sites like Facebook and Myspace becoming the perfect place for snooping around to see what your “friends” are up to.
If you’re like me, your typical login to Facebook goes something like this:
- Sign in.
- Check News Feed to see what friends are doing
- Click on “Friends” tab and then on “Recently Updated” to see who’s updated their profile
- Click on various updated profiles to see what comments have been left
- Go back to your page and change your status update
- Check out some other new applications to see if there’s anything new
Correct me if I’m wrong, but when it comes to your average user, this is pretty much the extent of what goes on each time. Now, there may be instances where you’ll sign in and perhaps upload pictures from a recent trip you took. There are also a bunch of neat Facebook applications such as the Bumper Sticker application, which allows you to put fun, sometimes humorous “bumper stickers” on your page for others to see. There are also games, and other interactive applications which may draw one or more people to your page.
But What is Facebook Really For?
The primary reason that most people in the college age group use Facebook is because of its intrinsic ability to bring people together. Why, I have found at least a dozen or so of my old elementary school friends via Facebook. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that I have added them, but at least it lets me know that they are out there. Sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it? After speaking to a bunch of my friends who are on Facebook, most openly admit that all they do is check out other people’s profiles….just because they can. But is this what Facebook is really for - to add people to your friends list who you don’t even really talk to just so that you can see their profile and use it to somehow make yourself feel better? I thought that was what Myspace was for?
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You hit the proverbial nail on the head with this one. For most users, it’s the same old routine everyday and not much more. How can businesses like Realtors and others use Facebook for more than just the “snoop” factor becomes the greater question!
Very thought-provoking and realistic article, i fully agree with u, i have been using facebook, and that’s the only thing i used to do. N to be frank it really makes you feel aware.. but somehow i never put my updates and don’t expose my life on facebook. But i do check other’s profile by curiosity.