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Facebook.com: Fun or Frightening?
Catherine DiGiacomo
It has been another day in Phoenixville High School and you’re just getting home. You go upstairs, kick off your shoes and jump into a chair. What do you do now? Well, about 60% of you flip on the computer screen, and sign on to Facebook.
Facebook is an easy, quick and fun way to talk to your friends whenever you want and millions of people all over the world use it every day. You just log in, and click on a picture of your friend… or your friend’s friend… or even your friend’s friend’s brother’s ex-girlfriend’s second cousin twice removed (who possibly lives in Antarctica)… UH OH, Stranger Danger! Think about this: once you’ve brought up that person’s page you can see who she is friends with, what she looks like, how old she is, if she has a boyfriend… the list goes on… right down to what she is doing at that particular moment. Some people feel that since Facebook gives away a surplus of unneeded information to complete strangers, it could be harmful to the person being exposed. However, the website is not just a free-for-all giveaway of information. Those of us (most of us) who do not wish to have our personal information available for anyone to see have the option of setting our site to “Private,” which then locks our page to anyone who we do not permit to be our “friend.” If the allowance of information was the only possible danger of Facebook, this article would now end… but it’s not over. There are other dangers you may not have considered, such as spending too much time on Facebook, posting pictures of people participating in illegal activities, verbal abuse, and simply causing more drama in your life than you would prefer. So is Facebook a true danger? I asked you, and you answered.
A survey about teens’ use of Facebook was placed on a table next to other surveys and students were told to choose which ones they wanted to answer. Most of the people who chose this survey were female, 22 out of 30 exactly. So it was interesting to see the contrast between both genders and their opinions of Facebook.
*Insert Data*
After reviewing the data, it seems that females spend much more time on Facebook than males. This could be because of their gender roles; girls are generally more sociable creatures, more interactive and talkative than guys. One person from each group (male/female) said that a friend made their Facebook for them. This could be because that person either did not know how to make one, or (most likely) didn’t feel like making one. This shows how much the social group today relies on Facebook to communicate and interact. If you don’t make your own, someone will make it for you; you have to have one. In this high school, Facebook is used mostly to talk to friends, however, some people admitted to looking at pictures of people they didn’t even know or meeting new people via this website. However, most students said they felt that the possibility of being stalked by a sexual predator is a danger for people using Facebook. Add this to the fact that surveyed girls (68%) said they check their Facebook at least once a day, and 60% do this before they even hang out with their family. And if 81% of girls and 62% if guys believe that Facebook causes drama, why does everyone love it so much? Most of you that were surveyed also said that kids (10 or younger) are too young to be using Facebook, and most agreed that you should wait until high school to make a page. Fun fact-Facebook was originally made for college students. If it’s okay for high school students to be using it… how long will it take for it to be okay for middle school students or younger? Is this a good thing? Or could it be corrupting?
Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image. It seems to me that Facebook is very addictive. Although most of us can agree on the dangers of Facebook, we still want to be a part of them. Don’t get me wrong, I think Facebook is a great idea. It’s a great way to get in touch with old friends and see what events are coming up that I would want to go to. I also cannot tell you how many times it has saved my butt when it comes to remembering birthdays. There are many benefits of Facebook, so it’s easy to see why we love it so much. The bottom line, which I think everyone can agree on, is that you can’t let it rule your life, and you can’t abuse it. Posting pictures of yourself making “bad decisions,” (a bad decision in itself) checking it constantly, reading other peoples conversations, and getting into fights with your boyfriend/girlfriend because of something that he/she said or posted on Facebook is when Facebook turns ugly. Feel free to use this wonderful site, but in moderation. Try not to get addicted! (People of all ages using Facebook)
It has been another day in Phoenixville High School and you’re just getting home. You go upstairs, kick off your shoes and jump into a chair. What do you do now? Well, about 60% of you flip on the computer screen, and sign on to Facebook.
Facebook is an easy, quick and fun way to talk to your friends whenever you want and millions of people all over the world use it every day. You just log in, and click on a picture of your friend… or your friend’s friend… or even your friend’s friend’s brother’s ex-girlfriend’s second cousin twice removed (who possibly lives in Antarctica)… UH OH, Stranger Danger! Think about this: once you’ve brought up that person’s page you can see who she is friends with, what she looks like, how old she is, if she has a boyfriend… the list goes on… right down to what she is doing at that particular moment. Some people feel that since Facebook gives away a surplus of unneeded information to complete strangers, it could be harmful to the person being exposed. However, the website is not just a free-for-all giveaway of information. Those of us (most of us) who do not wish to have our personal information available for anyone to see have the option of setting our site to “Private,” which then locks our page to anyone who we do not permit to be our “friend.” If the allowance of information was the only possible danger of Facebook, this article would now end… but it’s not over. There are other dangers you may not have considered, such as spending too much time on Facebook, posting pictures of people participating in illegal activities, verbal abuse, and simply causing more drama in your life than you would prefer. So is Facebook a true danger? I asked you, and you answered.
A survey about teens’ use of Facebook was placed on a table next to other surveys and students were told to choose which ones they wanted to answer. Most of the people who chose this survey were female, 22 out of 30 exactly. So it was interesting to see the contrast between both genders and their opinions of Facebook.
*Insert Data*
After reviewing the data, it seems that females spend much more time on Facebook than males. This could be because of their gender roles; girls are generally more sociable creatures, more interactive and talkative than guys. One person from each group (male/female) said that a friend made their Facebook for them. This could be because that person either did not know how to make one, or (most likely) didn’t feel like making one. This shows how much the social group today relies on Facebook to communicate and interact. If you don’t make your own, someone will make it for you; you have to have one. In this high school, Facebook is used mostly to talk to friends, however, some people admitted to looking at pictures of people they didn’t even know or meeting new people via this website. However, most students said they felt that the possibility of being stalked by a sexual predator is a danger for people using Facebook. Add this to the fact that surveyed girls (68%) said they check their Facebook at least once a day, and 60% do this before they even hang out with their family. And if 81% of girls and 62% if guys believe that Facebook causes drama, why does everyone love it so much? Most of you that were surveyed also said that kids (10 or younger) are too young to be using Facebook, and most agreed that you should wait until high school to make a page. Fun fact-Facebook was originally made for college students. If it’s okay for high school students to be using it… how long will it take for it to be okay for middle school students or younger? Is this a good thing? Or could it be corrupting?
Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image. It seems to me that Facebook is very addictive. Although most of us can agree on the dangers of Facebook, we still want to be a part of them. Don’t get me wrong, I think Facebook is a great idea. It’s a great way to get in touch with old friends and see what events are coming up that I would want to go to. I also cannot tell you how many times it has saved my butt when it comes to remembering birthdays. There are many benefits of Facebook, so it’s easy to see why we love it so much. The bottom line, which I think everyone can agree on, is that you can’t let it rule your life, and you can’t abuse it. Posting pictures of yourself making “bad decisions,” (a bad decision in itself) checking it constantly, reading other peoples conversations, and getting into fights with your boyfriend/girlfriend because of something that he/she said or posted on Facebook is when Facebook turns ugly. Feel free to use this wonderful site, but in moderation. Try not to get addicted! (People of all ages using Facebook)
posted by The Phoenix Files at
2:01 PM
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