Love Facebook or hate it; it's here to stay!
Pew Research Center reports that two-thirds of online adults engage in Facebook activities. Facebook also reports that two-thirds of users return to the site on a daily basis. In the CNBC documentary we watched this week, Facebook estimates that there are approximately 1 million new users that join Facebook weekly. Of this number, it should be noted that seventy percent of the Facebook population lives outside of the United States.
With a huge percentage of the world's population engaging in social media, there are several concerns surrounding how information on Facebook is shared. Specifically, there have complaints about privacy settings and consumer's rights to privacy. As it turns out, when Facebook recently adopted their Timeline application, many users posted information that, unknowingly to them, was being made public. In one particular instance, a woman was forced to resign after comments she posted about parents and students at the school she taught, were publicly displayed. This raises the question of if whether or not Facebook has an ethical obligation to ensure privacy settings are upheld during updates or when new applications are added to the site?
Another important point made within the CNBC documentary was how Facebook has "altered the meaning of friendship." Such an interesting fact and observation. Not only are we connected, we are now connected 24/7. With social media access 24/7, it seems nearly everything can be documented and shared within seconds. Although Facebook is a great way to remain connected to our communities, Facebook has also been the source of conflict and disagreement among friends. As an example, someone may not like a photo a friend has posted. Facebook has taken an active approach to resolve these types of social media issues, however, one could argue that once something is posted online, it virtually is in existence forever. How can Facebook ensure that when a "Friend" requests social resolution, such as removal of an unflattering photograph, that it will not become problematic for an individual in the future?
Do you love or hate Facebook?
www.pewinternet.com
Can I say that sometimes I feel both? I was asked to remove a photo, and I did, but she ended up looking petty in the process, which is sad.
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