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Sources:
Tony Jurich, 785-532-1488, jurich@k-state.edu;
Fred B. Newton, 785-532-6927, newtonf@k-state.edu;
Mary Todd, 785-532-6444, mtodd@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Erinn R. Barcomb, 785-532-6415
Wednesday,
October 19, 2005
K-STATE
EXPERTS SAY STUDENTS NOT ALWAYS PUTTING BEST FACE FORWARD ON FACEBOOK
MANHATTAN
-- Getting "poked" is a sign of friendliness, and the
Flip-Flop Alliance is a legitimate organization at Kansas State
University -- at least in the world of Facebook, a yearbook for
the Internet age at http://www.facebook.com
Facebook
communities have sprung up at K-State and campuses across the country.
Facebook
allows students to connect with one another for reasons as varied
as tracking down Wildcat football tickets, selling used anthropology
books or finding a weekend party.
But
some K-State faculty members say students' Facebook content could
come back to haunt them. Reliving the highlights of last weekend's
party may seem OK in the here and now, but imagine a prospective
employer reading about a candidate's record keg stand -- or worse,
seeing a picture of it.
Tony
Jurich, K-State professor of family studies and human service, said
it's easy for Facebook users to get caught up in a groupthink mentality
where a mildly outrageous content leads to a more outrageous content
until -- like the childhood game "telephone" -- content
reaches hyperbolic proportions. But that "feeding frenzy"
is also part of what makes it appealing.
"You
can participate in your own reality show, " Jurich said.
Facebook
content could cause trouble in the future not only for users seeking
jobs, but also for those pursuing romantic relationships or even
seeking political office. But teenagers and young people aren't
thinking about consequences when they use Facebook, Jurich, said.
Part of that is because young people are sent the message that "kids
will be kids" and some behaviors are excusable and will be
forgotten in a few years, he said.
"Teenagers
and adolescents think very naively they can post these things with
impunity," Jurich said.
Moreover,
the lack of instant, face-to-face feedback on Facebook and with
similar technologies makes it hard to judge how messages and content
are perceived by others. And where adults using the Internet may
be able to take cues from past personal interactions, Jurich said
teenagers and young adults often lack those experiences and may
have a hard time judging what is and isn't appropriate to post.
Most
people probably would be reluctant to stand up in the middle of
their school's football stadium and admit they're prone to dropping
the phone in the toilet or list getting wasted as a favorite pastime.
But such revelations appear on Facebook.
Fred
B. Newton, director of K-State's counseling services, said he's
heard from students who find it both enticing and scary to read
what information some users will post online.
"I
know this has been a source of concern when roommates find they
have been talked about publicly concerning what they consider to
be personal matters," Newton said.
Technologies
like Facebook are changing how students relate to one another, too.
Although it may seem like students are connecting with one another,
they're doing so through a medium rather than through face-to-face
contact. And while students are connecting through the Internet
or cell phones, Newton said they're disengaging themselves from
the people immediately surrounding them. Newton said the phenomenon,
dubbed "absent presence," has received some scholarly
attention but deserves more research.
Facebook
poses dangers beyond embarrassment, damaged reputation and interfered
socialization, according to K-State's Mary Todd, assistant director
of the university's Women's Center. Making general information like
addresses, phone numbers and majors readily available on the Internet
can create personal safety challenges, especially when that information
is combined with details like birthdays, favorite movies and relationship
status, she said.
Todd
said she has worked with people who, through a Facebook precursor,
had been "befriended" by people assuming anyone using
the system was open to meeting with strangers.
"This
is -- like any situation where people are meeting new people --
one with risks; one where charm, judgment, deception and targeting
can take place," she said.
Student
staff at the Women's Center offer the following safety tips for
using Facebook or other online social networks:
*
Don't put an address or phone number on profiles.
* Don't register an on-campus party. Have an invitation-only
guest list.
* Make sure the "friend" option is set so that only
people confirmed as friends can see your profile.
* Manage wall messages to keep out personal information.
* Displaying a class schedule reveals when you are and aren't
at home. Don't reveal information about when you or roommates will
be out of town. Use discretion about filling out summer/vacation
plans.
* Realize that posting photographs makes them public property.
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