As we join groups and social networks from affinity sites to Facebook, are we extending and expanding identities, or increasingly conforming to the cookie-cutter profiles demanded of these interfaces? Is the loss of "personal space" and "reflection" so many users complain of merely the necessary surrender of "ego" as we learn to participate as members of a more evolved "collective organism" of "hyper-people?"
Many people question the thought of Social Networking. Are we expanding and extending our identities? Is the human population losing their rights to privacy? What must we do to protect our privacy rights? Because of the internet blooming and becoming so popular, we can only assume that these problems will be brought up. With Web 2.0, people can interact with each other on every website that they are on, which allows people to be more social. Even before this idea and the many different networks and Internet there was pretty much only one way to communicate, which was face to face with the other person. Nowadays, the web has made it that much easier for us to communicate with each other and interact with the world. So the question is: is this such a bad thing? Are we increasingly expanding and extending our identities? The answer is, yes, we are definitely expanding and extending our identities.
The Internet and social networking has allowed us to all be interconnected. It is makes communication much easier. It now allows us to E-mail, access all types of information, shop online, online chat, pay bills, and download software. It is not only an easier way to communicate with the world, but it is a much faster way of communicating. One of the many websites that allows us to extend our identities is Facebook, and many positive things may come of this. Facebook today is one of the most visited sites besides search engines such as Google. By signing up for a Facebook, you are not necessarily conforming society but you are generally just joining the network. Although Facebook does have its flaws, it nonetheless allows you to have your own individual page; every page is different. While the setup of Facebook for each person is generally the same, it allows for you to write and share information about yourself and how you identify yourself as your own person.
Facebook allows you to share personal information such as your birthday, status updates, favorite quotes, pictures, and allows you to share what other people write on your wall. If someone were to look at my Facebook page, however, they would not have enough information to know a lot about me. I do not share my pictures with people that I am not friends with, and I do not share my birthday, where I live, or the names of my family members. That is the good thing about Facebook, you do not have to share information that you do not want people to know about. You have the option of sharing or not sharing any type of information; nothing has to be public. Facebook, along with other social networking sites such as Twitter, Blogs, and Online Dating, allow you to write the information that you only want people to know.
So, the answer to our main question is yes, social networking sites do increasingly make us conform. We do in fact expand and extend our personal information. Although I do believe that we extend ourselves, I do not believe that this mean that we lose personal space, because the privacy settings available on these social network ing sites allow us to chose. You can share just about any information and hide just about any information from the public that you do and do not want people knowing. The idea of Web 2.0 and the idea of social networking has become a part of life, and who knows what the next big idea will be. Emails were made out to be just as crazy as Facebook is today. People slowly became accustomed to the idea of quick and easy communication with people. Not only is social networking a good way of keeping in touch with family and friends, but it can also be used in other positive ways such as advertising and business. Social networking and Web 2.0 are still new to us, but people will get used to the fact that this is the simplest way to keep in contact with people.
The Internet and social networking has allowed us to all be interconnected. It is makes communication much easier. It now allows us to E-mail, access all types of information, shop online, online chat, pay bills, and download software. It is not only an easier way to communicate with the world, but it is a much faster way of communicating. One of the many websites that allows us to extend our identities is Facebook, and many positive things may come of this. Facebook today is one of the most visited sites besides search engines such as Google. By signing up for a Facebook, you are not necessarily conforming society but you are generally just joining the network. Although Facebook does have its flaws, it nonetheless allows you to have your own individual page; every page is different. While the setup of Facebook for each person is generally the same, it allows for you to write and share information about yourself and how you identify yourself as your own person.
Facebook allows you to share personal information such as your birthday, status updates, favorite quotes, pictures, and allows you to share what other people write on your wall. If someone were to look at my Facebook page, however, they would not have enough information to know a lot about me. I do not share my pictures with people that I am not friends with, and I do not share my birthday, where I live, or the names of my family members. That is the good thing about Facebook, you do not have to share information that you do not want people to know about. You have the option of sharing or not sharing any type of information; nothing has to be public. Facebook, along with other social networking sites such as Twitter, Blogs, and Online Dating, allow you to write the information that you only want people to know.
So, the answer to our main question is yes, social networking sites do increasingly make us conform. We do in fact expand and extend our personal information. Although I do believe that we extend ourselves, I do not believe that this mean that we lose personal space, because the privacy settings available on these social network ing sites allow us to chose. You can share just about any information and hide just about any information from the public that you do and do not want people knowing. The idea of Web 2.0 and the idea of social networking has become a part of life, and who knows what the next big idea will be. Emails were made out to be just as crazy as Facebook is today. People slowly became accustomed to the idea of quick and easy communication with people. Not only is social networking a good way of keeping in touch with family and friends, but it can also be used in other positive ways such as advertising and business. Social networking and Web 2.0 are still new to us, but people will get used to the fact that this is the simplest way to keep in contact with people.
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