This article describes the joys of using Facebook from a middle-aged adult’s perspective, written almost as a guide to the social networking Website. This was entertaining to me since I consider Facebook to be a typical part of life, in contrast to the author’s feeling of novelty and amusement derived from the site.
The author mentions how younger users feel about the site’s opening up to anyone with an email address, and I know from first hand experiences that the reaction she describes in completely true. She writes, “of course some young Facebookers are annoyed by the older generation’s encroachment on their territory. My colleague joined a while ago, put in friend requests to her teenage daughters and was promptly rejected. Facebook is not for people her age, they informed her.” Although meant to be comical, most users my age really do share this opinion regarding older Facebook members. After all, the site did come out just as we were entering college, when it was a strictly college-student forum.
How do you feel about older users on Facebook? What about younger users (such as your 12-year-old cousin?) I personally feel uncomfortable knowing that anyone from my little brother to my grandmother could potentially see all of my pictures, wall posts, groups, etc. Do you agree, or do you think it's ok for the site to be open to anyone who wants to stay in touch with friends and family?
Article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/nyregion/new-jersey/22Rgen.html?scp=3&sq=facebook%20baby%20boomers&st=cse
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I don't think Facebook should ever have expanded beyond the college community. It was created for college kids after all. There are plenty of social network sites out there, like MySpace or LinkedIn that allow anyone to join and connect with others. The expansion of Facebook seems to have been a business move by the company owners, who did not have Facebook users' best interest in mind.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that Facebook was initially created for the college community and for friends from different colleges to be able to keep in touch and updated. I think younger kids have no reason to be on a social network, such as Facebook. They have all their close friends and family nearby; and if they do want to communicate with a friend far away they can use AOL Instant Messenger or email. Obviously, this should be up to their parents, and another problem is that kids are joining Facebook without the permission of their parents. Also, there are other professional social sites out there for older users to join, so there is no need for them to have an account on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI think I have mixed feelings about this.It felt weird when I first found out one of my highschool teacher was on facebook, and then my friend's dad, and then all my friends who weren't in college. I thought facebook was supposed to be for college students. On the other hand, because of facebook's expansion my childhood friend was able to find me, and I do get to see what my friends back at home are up to. It also helps that you can choose which people you want to show your pictures to, and really customize your profile.
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