The Internet and Oversharing

I'm still working on narrowing my thesis down, but here is is:

Does the mass-scale, consumerist nature of the internet give teens a false sense of security online?

The internet is a large part of popular culture. In fact, our society is so dependent on this technology that we are probably more equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse than an internet blackout. Teens seem to be the most common consumer of social media, which embodies the commodified, mass-scale, instant gratification uses of the internet as a whole. The sheer size of social media grants people a sense of anonymity, because they feel that they are merely numbers, not scrutinized as individuals. Yet this “safety in numbers” may be somewhat false. Sometimes teens overshare personal information because they do not realize that it can be tracked by strangers, or they do not believe that they would be targeted by scammers. Teens also often disregard online privacy policies and license agreements; legalese is onerous and time consuming to read. Blindly trusting companies to keep consumers’ best interests in mind is dangerous; companies exist to make money, and there is money to be made from exploiting consumer trust and selling information. Targeted advertising exists because too many consumers unquestioningly “agree” to be tracked by cookies or have their personal information, like photos, used in new ads. Even other individuals on the web can use information that is carelessly posted online, like the creepy troll on Reddit that Raymond mentioned in one of our last discussions.

Sources so far:

http://gawker.com/5950981/unmasking-reddits-violentacrez-the-biggest-troll-on-the-web

link to site that Raymond posted in our discussion of incivility

http://0-www.2facts.com.library2.pima.edu/icof_story.aspx?PIN=i1500490&term=privacy+in+new+media#h4

gives both sides of issue on governmental mandate of privacy on social networking- in database

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704183204575288153333749426

2010 interview with Mark Zuckerberg published in Wall Street Journal: discusses Facebook privacy policies

Surveys about the percentage of people (or if there are any studies on just the teen population) who actually read online agreements before consenting might be interesting. Statistics on “oversharing”, like the average number of photos and/or status updates a typical teen posts in a day might also add to my essay. Other articles on the debate over regulating privacy policies, cookies, and targeted advertisements could be useful, too.

Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are like separate chat rooms for specific purposes. Sports teams, volunteer groups, and businesses create their own pages in order to organize and inform people about events. This can help connect people, but it can also turn people away from groups or clubs that they might otherwise be involved in.

Information posted on Facebook groups is visible to everyone on that group. This is convenient for record keeping. If a member of a club like National Honors Society has a problem updating their hours sheet or getting directions to an event, then asking for help on the group page is a way to demonstrate responsibility. Even if communication doesn’t go through on time, there is a record of effort made on the member’s behalf.

Facebook groups are also a way to reliably send information to everyone in a club. In groups like Kiwanis Club, in-person member meetings can be difficult to coordinate because people often have other obligations in the school or community. It is easy to accidentally miss members in a mass text or email about an upcoming event, and reminders on school announcements are too brief to effectively communicate all of the club events happening on campus. Facebook groups are effective because it is the members’ responsibility to sign up for the group. Once they are on, they receive notifications whenever officers create events or post reminders. Through Facebook, officers can easily communicate with clubs that include over 100 people. Even non-officers can suggest events and ideas to the whole group through Facebook pages.

Even in the adult world Facebook groups are ideal for coordinating volunteers for community events like the All Souls Procession. Information about fundraisers, the event schedule, and other ways to get involved are available on the pages. When people “like” pages, their friends are notified. This way, information about community events can spread by word of mouth in addition to public fliers and official news reports.

Facebook groups are also an appropriate place for inside jokes and team bonding that might be awkward and exclusive if they were publicly visible. Someone involved in the high school swim team might not necessarily understand or relate to the quirky, Celtic-oriented nerdy vibe of the Tucson Highlanders. Each group page reflects the individual vibe of the group, and this helps people within these groups get to know each other better. Bands, teams, and even volunteer organizations perform better and are more enjoyable to be a part of when the people involved know and like each other.

However, team bonding can go too far. Facebook groups can become invasive; too much contact can make people stop liking each other. For example, even though I love my best friend, if I hung out with her nonstop for several weeks in a row, we would fight. I don’t like the people in my Facebook groups as much as I love my BFF, so excessive contact with them is more likely to drive me insane. In many cases, if I’m not contacting them on my own, it’s because what they have to say isn’t extremely important to me.

Here are a few points that I plan on discussing further:

-Just another thing to keep track of in world bombarded with emails, texts, calls, IMs, and other social networking sites. People involved in community tend to be overachievers to begin with- why add to the plate with something else they need to keep track of?

-Online etiquette is different than face-to-face contact. Personalities can be misrepresented, communicating without visual cues can cause conflict because the tone of a conversation can be misinterpreted, and overall people tend to think less about each other’s feelings when they are not right next to each other.