When I was younger, I remember begging my parents to allow me to have a MySpace and Facebook. Now that I see how much people rely on these social networking sites, I realize maybe our society has taken it too far.
Our society uses Facebook for almost everything. Social networking has even come so far as to influence our daily news, with networks such as CNN using Facebook and Twitter posts in their daily broadcast. AT&T even came out with a phone that has a button specifically for Facebook. A main reason our society uses Facebook is to stay in contact with family and friends, and this is often the main source of communication for many of these people. I have no problem with people who use Facebook, however I think it makes the conversation less personal and intimate. There has been a lot of talk about how people would say things online, that they would not say in person. I also do not understand why people want so many other people they barely know, or do not know at all to see every little thing they have done that day.
A clinical study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics about the effects of social media showed that teens and young adults who used Facebook were more prone to depression. Our society is very competitive, especially in the United States. People often compare their lives to others, and Facebook is a very easy way to do this. All you have to do is open your computer and login, and you instantly have access to hundreds of people’s lives. You can sit all day and compare your happiness to others by looking at pictures, statuses, and posts. Although Facebook might not reveal a person’s true happiness, people still use it to judge others and their own life. Those with low self-esteem find this interaction challenging.
About three months ago I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. I did this for many reasons, but the main one was that I spent way too much time on it looking at things I did not really care about. Instead of actually talking with people in person I sat on the computer and had those conversations. I also became aware that certain posts were really upsetting me. I decided I did not need that hassle anymore and I feel I am much more productive and satisfied with my life now. So when my professor mentioned the use of Facebook on the first day of class, I instantly became aggravated.
My professor for a language class wants all his students to post a video of themselves on Facebook two times a week. The videos are of the students saying the words and phrases we learned that week. Isn’t that why NMU has websites like Educate? It is supposed to be a resource and site students and professors can use to communicate and turn in assignments outside of class.
My professor said that Facebook was the easiest way to post videos and access them online. He also wanted the videos to be open for anyone to see, since the language, Anishinaabe, is a dying language. However, isn’t a student’s privacy more important than that? When students post videos on a professor’s Facebook wall, not only do the student’s Facebook friends see the video, but everyone who is friends with the professor can also see it. That allows the professor to see the student’s Facebook as well, since the professor and students have to be “friends” in order to post a video on the professor’s wall. I would never put anything on Facebook that I would not want other people to see, but I know plenty of people who do. My professor did not really give students any other options on where else we could post these videos. I think this is an invasion of privacy. I do not understand why I should have to use Facebook in order to pass a class.
I am sure I am not the only student who has had professors want to turn in assignments on Facebook and this probably upset many of those students as well. I could tell that this situation was frustrating the other people in my class.
I think technology has changed our lives, often for the better. However, there are certain aspects of technology I do not think people usually consider. These social networking sites often affect students in an awful way. I know there have been times where I should have been writing a paper, but instead I sat on Facebook. It is affecting student’s schoolwork, happiness, social skills and personal privacy.
