As we all
know, social networking sites have changed the way we connect and interact with
other people on a daily basis. Now, more than ever before, sharing your
thoughts and showing moments of your life with those who you care about the
most is a regular routine that, needless to say, we all do. Think for one
moment about all your “friends” you have on Facebook. Over the past years,
Facebook has made several improvements on the way you can customize your
security and privacy settings, keeping in mind the growing number of users and
the type of information you share with others on this website.
Did you think
about your “friends” on your Facebook page? Well, now think about this – how
many of those “friends” do you know in person? When was the last time you had a
conversation face-to-face with one of them? These questions are important
because they determine how safe your personal information and reputation are on
such websites. One of the major problems, I think, with Facebook is that you
can copy and paste pictures from other people’s profiles. Most of us now know
that once you upload an image or type something on a website is going to stay
there even if you later decide to delete the image or the paragraphs from the
original source. By asking you to think about
your “friends” on Facebook, I’m trying to get you to think about what you post
in the form of images and in words. Did you know that some employers look at
your Facebook profile before extending a job offer? (CBS News)
This is just
one of the many things you should think about before writing or sharing images
online. For example, defamation (libel) and extortion are common practices
linked to the information you share about yourself and the things you say about
others on social networking sites (BBC). Therefore, you should be aware that
anything you say, for example, about a product or a person that has been
purposely exaggerated to harm or to create bad reputation can have severe legal
consequences. By now you may be wondering how
is this linked to my friends on Facebook? The answer is simple. If you,
like many young people do, accept friend requests from people who you never met
in person before because they are a friend of a friend of your best friend, you
may be exposing yourself to an unnecessary risk.
Please check the following
websites for further reference.
Works Cited
Parker, Laura, USA Today. Courts are asked to crack
down on bloggers, websites. New York, 2006.
Parker, Laura, USA Today. Jury awards $11.3M over
defamatory Internet posts. New York, 2006.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-10-internet-defamation-case_x.htmBBC. Social Media Basics - Etiquette and libel on social networks. 2011.
Traverse Legal. Defamation on Facebook and Twitter.
27 October 2012.
They had a discussion about social networking (mainly facebook) on the radio this morning. It was about how many of your "friends" are actually friends. So many people just accept anyone and everyone. Kind of scary when you think about it!
ReplyDeleteI beleive many people put too much of their personal business on social sites. What happened to "privacy?" Why do people feel the need to let everyone know what they are doing and where they are going throughout the day? I guess you can say that stalkers don't have to do much work to track a person down...they can just log on to social sites and find almost anyone.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have a cousin that is the king of putting ALL his business on Facebook. The joke in the family is if you're looking for him just go on Facebook and you'll find him. We get on him all that time about that, but it's not sinking in.
DeleteSo you are saying that if I say something like " I hate (insert company name)" it could have legal repercussions if I have the right "friends" on my page? Or could it be considered freedom of speech?
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion is I think it's freedom of speech, but there have been occasions I've read or heard on the news where someone's post has caused them to loose their job or they've been sued for slander. These are isolated incidents, but a general rule to remember is once you put it online it is out there forever. So think twice before you press the enter key. It may come back to haunt you later.
DeleteNo, if you express your opinion about XYZ Company, for example, on Facebook, as long as you don't make false statements that directly or indirectly harm the company you're not liable for just making a personal statement. As for your friends on Facebook, like I said on my post, you never know who is behind the screen. We all know we can take information from other people's profiles any time we want. Therefore, if you give access to your personal information to strangers on Facebook, for example, you may be exposed to defamation and extortion. That, of course, is the extreme case. That's why I think is better to prevent than to heal.
DeleteA comment I have made often is "people are no more crazy these days than they used to be, the only difference now is that they have a way to tell the world how crazy they are."
ReplyDeleteSocial sites, like Facebook, can be a wonderful tool if used correctly. While I may not pick up the phone or write letters to people I graduated with 25 years ago, I am able to reconnect with them via Facebook. By the same token, it is my responsibility to keep my friend list as small as possible and, what people forget most, is only post things that I would stand in the middle of town and yell out to strangers.
My biggest concern is what you mentioned about the ability to copy peoples images and save them for your personal use. I try to be very careful about what I post, but with the technological advances, if someone is able to get a picture of you along with your name, they can track you to your front doorstep if they want to. Even if they don't actually know who you are. That, to me, is the scariest thing of all.
I don't think you should limit the number of friends you have as long as you know who they are. My point is that we shouldn't let strangers know what we did, or what we plan to do in the future. You make a really good point when you say that certain people "now have a way to tell the world how crazy they are." I'm really sure that we all have seen pictures and read comments that are far beyond good taste. Eventually, all that information will be shared with a another user that you don't even know, and that chain is practically impossible to trace.
DeleteI totally agree that we have to be more careful with choosing our "friends" on Facebook or any other social network. I personally don't understand the necessity of allowing everyone, whether friend or family, to know what is my daily activity or my emotional state. These social networks all have these privacy protections but are they really enough with all the identity theft and hacking that occurs around us? I love Facebook only because it has shortened distances for me; I can interact with my other family members and friends overseas.
ReplyDeleteThis is a vital message that every user should be reminded of. As a Human Resources professional, I have taught many training courses on this very issue. An individual's digital reputation is extremely important. You pointed out that other's can take your pictures and information once it is put out there. Many young adults have posted pictures that will forever effect their career life as other users have tagged and reposted. Even if a user deletes this derogatory picture, it is still out there somewhere for someone to find. Just as it is important to watch what information you make available for others, it is just as important to monitor who is on your "friend" list.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder!
This is a vital message that every user should be reminded of. As a Human Resources professional, I have taught many training courses on this very issue. An individual's digital reputation is extremely important. You pointed out that other's can take your pictures and information once it is put out there. Many young adults have posted pictures that will forever effect their career life as other users have tagged and reposted. Even if a user deletes this derogatory picture, it is still out there somewhere for someone to find. Just as it is important to watch what information you make available for others, it is just as important to monitor who is on your "friend" list.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder!
As someone who also works with middle schoolers, this is something that I have had to be cautious about not only with my facebook but with instagram. There is also an article out there and I'm not sure where but that not only are employers looking at your facebook and social media before hiring you, but banks are now looking at your friends list before approving you for loans etc.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! Thank you!
Obviously, facebook is a popular social network today. You can share anything with friends, family, or relative. Besides that, you can find the link the companies post on Facebook to apply for your job; but I never know that employers are looking at your facebook to hire you as well as banks are looking at your friends list to approve for your loans.
ReplyDelete