FaceCrack

In wrapping up a Facebook project for class, I read a few articles entailing Facebook, and social media in general. The concept that tied each of these articles together was: creating yourself via the Internet. 

For our Facebook project, we were to create 5 different Facebook pages. (Pages for either a business, a public figure, a product, an organization, etc.) However, my professor insisted that we create these pages within a new/separate personal account than the one we might already have.

When we join Facebook, we have the ability to portray ourself any which way we'd like to. We have the chance to let our 'friends' get to know the "real" you... (depending on your definition of real.) I think this is why we were instructed to start from scratch with our Facebook account for this project. Instead of using the personality we already built of ourselves on our real accounts, we had the chance to create ourselves in a way we want our classmates and professors to see us.

The articles I read explained that not everyone is the same when it comes to using Facebook.

Some people entertain and embrace the idea of putting personal information on the web; Instead of being concerned with the privacy of their content, they're more focused on projecting a certain image of themselves. 

On the contrary, some people experience feelings of discomfort knowing that their lives, and everyone else's lives are so accessible.

As a college student, I see the people of my generation all the time posting inappropriate things on the Internet. 

Including and not limited to:

• Underage drinking
• Binge drinking
• Drug use
• Promiscuity 
• ETC. 

I know, I know- Freedom of Speech. Well, remember that kid in grade school who got detention for saying the 'F' word in the middle of class, and proceeded to explain the first amendment in his defense? "FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!" Yeah, that doesn't work in that case. With mostly anything, there are a set of rules or guidelines to abide by. These rules might be written, or they might be an unwritten set of norms. In grade school, those rules were probably written in some student handbook or displayed in a class room: "NO PROFANITY."

With social media, there isn't a set of rules to abide by; but it shouldn't be a total free for all. There are certain rules of etiquette...

etiquette |ˈetikit; -ˌket|nounthe customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group. 

But as we already know, everyone has their own opinion on what is right or wrong, what is polite or rude. As with anything, I try to instill my personal values with everything I do.

KATIE SWAINE'S RULES OF ETIQUETCY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

-Be honest. Don't fabricate any stories about yourself or anyone else

-Be original. Don't copy and paste things and play them off as your own!! Not cool.

-Respect yourself. No one will ever respect you if you can't even respect yourself.

-TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED. Duh.

It's important to me to follow these guidelines because I wouldn't feel right if I didn't. However, I'm definitely not perfect and I AM guilty of bashing some people on Twitter. It makes people laugh! (Unless you're the punchline...) A really awkward situation happened last semester, I tweeted about these 2 girls in my class in a negative-ish way. Just kind of made fun of how annoying they are. Anyway, somehow someway, they saw my tweet and figured out it was about them. They then continued to mention it to their friend of a friend of my friend, (no really) and the word had gotten back to me that they think I'm a ~bitch~.  After I cried to myself for a week for being called the 'B' word, (just kidding) for our group project in that class, one of them was in my group.. We never spoke of it, but we both knew. Awkward.

I am a long time Facebook user, and I don't intentionally try to convey any sort of personality. I get pretty paranoid when it comes to posting personal information about myself on Facebook, or any social networking site. My Facebook is private (I think..I hope) but as Facebook continues to evolve, I feel less and less 'private'. I just feel like if someone really wanted to, they could gain access to your information. 

As much as I hardly even use Facebook anymore, sadly, it's not that easy to just not have one. I've tried it!! ....and forgot about 5 of my friends' birthdays, missed out on event invitations in the process, didn't know my friend and her boyfriend broke up.... You get the point.

I deleted my Facebook in the first place because it's so damn distracting. Instead of writing a paper I'll go on Facebook "for a minute" and end up getting instant messaged by one of my friends that I don't see anymore because they live in Europe now. 

But, those friends are also part of the reasons why I end up reactivating my Facebook. 

My Facebook is activated for social reasons- 

• Birthdays. Sad but true. There needs to be a way I can get all my friends' birthdays on the calendar in my iPhone so I don't forget anyone....
• Long lost friends.
• Keeping up to date with friends who are making sure their Facebook friends are keeping up to date with them.
• Events.

Friend: "Hey Katie, are you coming to my birthday party tomorrow?" 
Me: "What birthday party? Was my invite lost in the mail?"
Friend: "I sent it out to everyone on Facebook!"

Love it or hate it, I feel as if I have no choice but to be on Facebook these days.

PS: I entitled this post "FaceCrack" because that's what my Aunt calls it because it's so addicting. And she's old, so it's funny. FaceCrack. LOL.