Social
Networking
Social networks have become an increasingly popular way for people to
communicate over the last decade. Whether it is through a wall post, a picture,
a video, or a link, users are able to share stories and details about their
lives through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube.
Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard student who hacked the university�s network to obtain
photos and information about other students on campus, created Facebook in 2004.
Today, Facebook has more than 845 million daily active users. According to
information found on Facebook�s website, �[M]illions
of people use Facebook every day to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited
number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they
meet.� However, if the man behind
all of this was a hacker himself, what might this say about the security of the
website itself? Just how safe is
this site and others?
The truth of the matter is social networking sites are only as safe as a
user makes them.
Unfortunately, many of the free privacy settings available for users on the
internet are not the default. To protect themselves, users must be sure to
censor what they post online and activate the appropriate privacy settings to
secure their information. Individuals who share their personal information
online must realize that anything they post has the potential to be viewed by
millions of people online, not just their friends. As authors Dianne Timm and
Carolyn Duven suggest,�[W]hen an individual shares information on a social
networking site, he or she is sharing that information with the rest of the
world even if the intent was to share with only a select group of people� (Timm
and Duven 90). The reality of online privacy is there is no way to ensure that
what users post online will not be seen by other people. When users realize the
reality of online privacy, they often feel violated or exposed. Understanding
privacy is important, but activating those settings is even more crucial. Data
posted on social networking sites should be fair game for employers and
administrators of higher education because they provide insight into the
applicant�s or student�s personal life, demonstrate responsibility and
accountability, and may contribute to an individual�s professional growth by
enhancing personal knowledge and skills obtainable only by online communication.
Telephone numbers, addresses, social security numbers, and email
addresses are all examples of information that most people consider private. But
just how private is this information? The term �privacy� has become difficult to
define with the growth of technology, specifically the internet. The expansion
of technology has made what is private and what is not very unclear. People find
themselves in situations where they believe they are protected, but discover the
privacy agreement suggests otherwise. College students in particular are
suffering consequences because of their lack of knowledge about privacy and
social networking sites. Unfortunately, those students have very little concern
for what they are publishing and who may come into contact with their
information. It is not until they suffer negative consequences of their choices
that they are appropriately educated about what they can do to protect
themselves.
Understanding privacy rights related to the use of social networking sites is
important for people of all ages. However, it is not until they understand the
definition of privacy that they can understand their rights online. In their
article �Privacy and Social Networking Sites,� Dianne Timm and Carolyn Duven
define privacy as �personal information that an individual deems important and
unattainable by the general population� (90). This is certainly true, but
privacy on the internet does differ from one�s general privacy. Internet privacy
includes the ability to control the information revealed about oneself online
and remain private. Internet privacy is not promised by anyone and can be
controlled only by the individual using the internet.
Many people are questioning the boundaries of internet privacy. Internet privacy
can be defined as having the opportunity �to control the sharing of information
and how it will be used and manipulated� (Timm and Duven 90). According to this
definition, internet privacy is ultimately in the hands of the users online. Not
everyone agrees, though. Some people believe that what they publish online is
private and protected, oblivious to the fact that it is neither. To many
students, Facebook and other social networking sites �blur the line between
personal and public� (Brandenburg 597). Social media sites fool users by making
them believe they are protected. Once a photo or comment is published online,
however, it no longer belongs to the user. Photos that are published online may
never be erased. Users would know about this information if they read the
Agreement Policy, but most skip the 72 plus pages and simply �agree.�
Unfortunately, many of the privacy settings on the internet are not the default.
It is the users� responsibility to change those settings to ensure their
privacy. To protect themselves, users must be sure to censor what they post
online and activate the appropriate privacy settings to secure their
information.
Social networking sites are set up to provide individuals with a way to
communicate and share ideas. In order to join a site, one must create a username
and password. In addition, most social networking sites ask for personal
information which may include a current street address, phone number, date of
birth, and current place of employment. What many users are unaware of is that,
although they have removed that information from being visible to others, the
social media site still has the information which may be given to additional
websites. Chris Hughes, cofounder of Facebook, states in a personal conversation
with authors Timm and Duven that �Facebook has provided ways for students to
continue to connect online and that it is up to the user to protect his or her
own information by using the tools provided on the site� (92). Although these
options are available for all users, most do not take advantage of the privacy
settings.
Social networking sites are designed to be a safe and entertaining way to
communicate with others. Most sites are successful in entertaining the users,
but not all are secure. Users create an online profile and then share their
profile with other users. As users create their profile, they have the option to
make their profile �private.� When an individual uses these privacy settings to
filter who is able to view his or her profile, he or she is under the impression
that the information he or she posts will remain private (Timm and Duven 90).
Unfortunately, users trust these social networking sites too much. Users should
never assume they are protected. Instead they should censor what they publish
online and assume that anything they post is public. Before posting, users
should consider the purpose of sharing the information and accept the reality
that the information will not remain as private as they intend. Users assume
that what they post will be seen by their friends and other users that they have
previously approved to view their profile.
Student behavior has not changed dramatically over the past 20 years, but
the way in which administrators are able to view this behavior has changed (Timm
and Duven 95). Administrators can now discover information about students by
consulting students� social networking sites. This particular situation brings
up a controversial issue involving privacy online. Students believe they should
not be punished at school for what they have posted online. They believe
administrators invade their privacy by viewing their online profiles. Students
may feel violated after discovering that administrators have access to their
profiles, but they do have an opportunity to prevent some of this from
happening. Although students cannot completely block their profiles from
administrators, the less they publish online, the less information
administrators have to punish students. Students should not assume
administrators will ignore what they see online, but instead refrain from
posting inappropriate information on their profiles.
In the fall of 2007, Dr. Nora Barnes, Director for the Center of Marketing
Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmoughth, published a study that
showed more than 20 percent of colleges and universities search social networks
for their admissions candidates (Fodeman and Monroe 2). Unfortunately, students
are oblivious to how seriously universities take the information they post
online. Carly Brandenburg suggests that social networking sites such as Facebook,
Xanga, and MySpace may �provide more than the opportunity to share stories and
details of a college student�s or graduate�s life� (597). The problem she
identifies suggests that too many students and graduates �blur the line between
personal and public� (Brandenburg 597). Many times college students do not
filter their social networking pages. Social network users post photos that they
would not mind their friends seeing, but they do not consider that other people
can also see the information they post. As she writes in the beginning, �[E]mployers
who hire graduating students are steadily discovering that social networking
sites allow them to learn more than they ever could from reading an applicant�s
resume and cover letter� (597). This may be an advantage for some and a
disadvantage for others. For those users who are responsible and use social
networking sites carefully, it may serve as an advantage. The way a person acts
on the internet may reflect how a person acts in general. Someone who is
responsible and takes things seriously on social networking sites will be
evaluated better than someone who is not. For those users who post pictures from
parties every weekend and like inappropriate pages, they may have ruined an
opportunity for themselves. The way in which students act online is becoming
increasingly more important as technology continues to grow.
Student-teacher relationships on Facebook and other social networking sites are
being evaluated on a scale of appropriateness. As
Berhane Teclehaimanot and Torey Hickman draw attention to in their
article, �Facebook provides opportunities for teachers and students to interact
in new ways, but the guidelines and expectations for behavior have not been
clearly identified� (21). Clearly, Facebook and other social networking sites
would be an excellent source for students and teachers to use to communicate
with one another after school. However, people argue that students and teachers
contacting one another via social networking is inappropriate. Facebook could be
used as a place for students to discuss certain topics and assignments with the
ability for teachers to provide their input. Some teachers feel uncomfortable
being �friends� with their students on these sites because it would give
students access to their personal information. Some students are also opposed to
being friends with their teachers on Facebook for the same reasons. What
students and teachers do on the weekends should be private for both parties.
Online privacy is a controversial issue online that is only growing. With the
advancements of technology, it is difficult to ignore the issues that come along
with them. The only solution to these problems is for users to post all
information carefully. It is their responsibility to censor their profiles. If
photos are inappropriate for these social networking sites, students should
refrain from publishing them online. Instead students activate what they think
is high security only to find out there are always ways around the system.
Unfortunately most people learn about the lack of online privacy the hard way.
Social network users must stay on alert to keep themselves secure online. Social
networking sites are out to trick their users. In order to outsmart these sites,
users must take action and protect themselves by changing the default settings.
Ultimately, privacy is in the users� hands.
The rapid growth of technology and the internet has made a significant
transformation in the way in which individuals now communicate. As Edward
Marsico points out, �[I]n the 1980�s, the suburban mall was the customary
gathering place for young people to meet and chat. Today, many of those
conversations occur on social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter,
and YouTube� (967). Many people see this transformation as an advantage, for a
variety of reasons. For example, messages are sent and received days faster than
they were just 20 years ago. People thousands of miles away can now see each
other on a daily basis via Skype, Facetime, and other video chat programs.
However, some people frown upon this century�s communication innovation. They
claim, for example, that it is unsafe and inappropriate. Others believe these
methods of communication are appropriate only for older and more mature age
groups. Depending on the criteria used for evaluation, Facebook and other social
networking sites can be seen in positive or negative terms. If they are judged
on the basis of safety, it seems clear that they are harmless as long as they
are used properly.
Data on social networking sites is available to future employers and is used
often. A user�s site provides employers with an �inexpensive way to perform
background checks on job candidates� (Miller, Robert, Parsons, and Lifer 377).
According to a 2007 study by the Ponemon Institute, as many as 23 percent of
hiring managers use social networking sites to review job candidates (Miller,
Robert, Parsons, and Lifer 377). Today, just five years later, the percent of
employers who review candidates on social networking sites has certainly
increased. This is mainly due to the simplicity and convenience that Facebook
and other sites offer. The personal information provided on social networking
sites is unlike the information provided in an interview. Profiles online
provide employers with information that would be prohibited from being asked
during an interview. Some of this information may include sexual orientation,
marital status, and religious affiliation. The process of employers using social
networking sites to find out more information about candidates is a
controversial topic because many believe it is an unfair way to judge a
candidate. Unfortunately, it does not seem that this process will end anytime
soon, seeing that the internet and technology is growing each day. The most
important thing for social networking users to remember is that anything and
everything posted can and will be found by someone for whom it was not intended.
Facebook, the most popular social networking site and fourth most-visited
website on the internet, has its advantages and disadvantages among students,
teachers, and employers (Manago, Taylor, and Greenfield 369). Many people would
agree with a statement by Facebook which states its mission is �to give people
the power to share and make the world more open and connected� (Facebook).
However, making the world more open and connected is a concern to some
individuals. Social networking sites are as safe and secure as users make them.
Most sites have privacy settings that can be activated to further protect one�s
personal information. According to Timm and Duven, �[B]oth Facebook and MySpace
provide a clear privacy statement to inform users about the limits of protection
that the site maintains for the information shared, as well as how the site will
use the personal information provided� (91). Social networking sites want their
users to be satisfied and feel protected which is why they make these privacy
settings available for users. Ultimately, the way in which social networking
users portray themselves online is up to them. It is up to users to make social
networking an advantage for themselves, rather than a disadvantage.
Works Cited
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Networker�s Nightmare.� Federal
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