We previously explored what
Facebook is and some of the informal rules of use that go along with it. Today
we look at how Facebook has changed the socio-cultural makeup of the United
States, and our behavior in general.
Some of the most apparent
changes Facebook has wrought on us are a direct result of violating the rules mentioned
in the last post. Failure to control who is inside a users’ network and a lack
of prudence in what information is broadcast, sometimes one in conjunction with
the other, has resulted in less than favorable results for many users. Facebook
has been utilized by both sides of the law. Thieves, for example, sometimes use
the network to select targets and time their robberies, while law enforcement officers
often learn when and where parties will occur so that they may troll for under
aged drinkers. Information on the network is also admissible in court, which
has assisted the prosecution in both criminal and civil cases. Employers are
also known to use Facebook as a means for learning more about their prospective
employees. This could be considered a positive development for business though
the practice is sometimes considered ethically questionable, especially since
other social media sites such as Linkedin cater to the professional demographic
whereas Facebook is typically considered a more personal venue. Another
socio-cultural change is in bullying. Not all social interactions are positive
ones, and Facebook allows harassment to continue when the parties are not
physically present, just as it enables friendly interactions to continue under
the same circumstances. Subjects of such harassment, or “cyber bullying,” find
that even their homes are no longer a safe place from antagonism. All of these
negative changes may be controlled and even eliminated through careful
management of personal behavior on Facebook. Essentially, these are changes
that do not have to exist if the user is shrewd enough to protect his or
herself.
There are other changes,
however, that have not resulted from user error. Friends are not the only
people monitoring Facebook user’s online behavior. Corporations are also paying
attention to which links are clicked and by whom, how much time is spent on
applications, and which users “like” what. The data is recorded, sold and
“mined,” then used to tailor advertisements to specific users. The full
implications of this kind of technology have not yet been felt, but it is cause
for concern. When used for its original intent data mining is fairly benign,
helping to connect businesses with consumers that want their products and
creating more wealth for both parties. However, there are potential uses for
all of this accumulated data outside of its original intent. It doesn’t take a novelist’s
vivid imagination to explore the potential for abuse, by the hands of the
corporations that gather the data, by criminals that could potentially steal
the data, or by the government who may find pretense to seize the data. The
only real way for a Facebook user to protect her data is simply to not be a
Facebook user at all. However, she would also have to avoid all of the most
popular social media outlets as well as search engines. The risks of exposing
data must be weighed against the rewards of the connectivity that Facebook
offers.
The most important consequence
of Facebook is not in the way it is misused, however. Facebook is at its most
powerful when it is employed as it was intended; as a way to bring people
closer together. Basic human behavior has not changed as a result of social
media, but that is not to say that it hasn’t brought out something new in us. We
still flirt, still fight, we still tell one another really bad jokes and
compete for attention, we just do it all faster and more effectively. Facebook
is like a social enzyme, facilitating and accelerating human interaction on an
unprecedented scale. Thanks to Facebook, we can literally spend time with a
hundred friends all at once. Because humans are social creatures, this
accelerated interaction operates on our endocrine system like a drug. All of
the frustrations and pleasures that we normally receive from communication, the
tiny ego boost from a friend who laughs at a joke, for example, or a sarcastic
contradiction, may be multiplied a dozen times over. Paradoxically, research
has found that this constant interaction can play a role in preventing people
from growing relationships. Doctoral student Russell Clayton found that the
more time individuals spent on Facebook, the more likely they were to
“experience Facebook-related conflict with their
romantic partners, which then may cause negative relationship outcomes
including emotional and physical cheating, breakup and divorce.” As individuals
pursue multiple relationships with friends, they fail to invest in a deeper,
more meaningful relationship with their spouse or romantic interest. This is
even more likely when the relationship has been recently established, possibly
because one or both parties do not perceive as much reward in the new
relationship as with their established cohorts on social media. Though Facebook
is addicting, however, we still tire from it. The emotional rollercoaster is
exhausting, prompting many users to periodically take a break. According to the
Pew Research Center, 61% of Facebook users have ceased activity for several weeks,
and sometimes even longer. The reasons vary from time constraints to boredom
with a very few citing security concerns, but the vast majority of those taking
a breather from the social network plan on coming back. It would seem that the
old, limited form of individualized communication continues to be necessary and
even preferred, but alone it is not enough to sate our need for socialization.
Facebook, or at least the idea behind Facebook, is here to stay.
In conclusion, Facebook is a
useful tool to help us do the thing we perhaps love the most; to share
ourselves with one another, for better or worse. Grandparents use it to keep
tabs on grandprogeny while sharing Youtube videos of adorable kittens, frat
brahs organize and ferret out their next big kegger, romance is both cultivated
and destroyed through giddy flirtation, and narcissism is courted in every
degree as users vie for attention and validation from their peers. It’s a gloriously
hot, sweaty mess of sarcasm, affection, capriciousness, hilarity, pettiness,
activism, and every kind of racism, sexism, marginalization and mortification
alongside a smattering of thoughtfulness, compassion, encouragement and
forgiveness. In short, Facebook is used to engage in the full spectrum of
emotional and intellectual interaction between human beings. It may not alter
humanity on a fundamental level, but it does subtly shape how we behave and,
consequently, who we are.
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