Facebook or Stalkerbook?

By: Danielle Cort
Posted In: Opinion

At 9:26 this morning, Kelly and Ryan went from being “complicated” to being

“single.” At 3:52 p.m., Brad added “Derailed” to his list of favorite movies. I’m

all for human interests, but come on – is the exact time of a personal breakup

really necessary?

The social network in which I am referring to is, of course, Facebook. It is

an outlet that allows people, primarily students, to have constant communication

with one another. With 85% of the college population engrossed in this

technological craze, it is fair to say that pictures of what people wore to

their last house party or on what day they updated their profile, are two

priorities students are taking very seriously.

Just recently, Facebook underwent changes that sparked heated discussion among

its users. With the addition of the so-called “mini-feed,” users have constant

access to their friend’s details without initiating a search for them. This

has seemingly become a way to detract many of the privacy controls Facebook has

insisted it prides itself on.

Caitlin Sula, a junior at Salve, admits that the new layout is a bit of a

change, but that people are being hypocritical. Her argument falls on the

premise that people really do want to know the ins-and-outs of other’s personal

lives. That is why we log on to the website multiple times a day, looking for

changes that may have occurred in the previous hour. “Instead of you going out

and looking for information,” Sula said, “it [Facebook] is basically shoving it

in your face.” This forthright action may have been welcomed by few, but for

many, it produced outrage.

Users took action and began protesting while others simply congregated online groups that rallied against the new changes. Mark

Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of this cyber sensation, sent out public apologies

for the company’s inconsistency to meet the users’ needs. Students feel more

at ease now that new privacy controls have been instated, but are still getting

used to the fact that being a member within the network essentially turns your

thoughts from being private to publicized.

Within the realm of today’s communications lies another technological

breakthrough that seems to cause an equal amount of turbulence: MySpace. This

network is viewable by anybody, anywhere, at any time. Unlike Facebook,

MySpace members do not have to be a member of a viable institution, university,

or business. You simply invent a profile and with the click of the mouse, any

person with the Internet can find you. Scary? A little.

MySpace users tend to be more creative and free with the information they post. You have to wonder, though, is everything you’re reading true? Jenna Carrabis, also a

Salve junior, is skeptical when it comes to MySpace credibility. “On MySpace,”

she said, “your profile could say you are an 18-year-old girl, when really,

you’re a 50-year-old man. You have to say you’re 14 years old just to have your

profile set to private.”

In the end, privacy wins out. Both Facebook and MySpace infringe on that

right, but ultimately, users are the ones that allow it. It is irrational to believe

that when you list your street address or cell phone number online that all

your other personal information can’t be seen. The general consensus: Facebook

is a better suit for all you “stalkers” out there. Just know that what you can

find online can be found by everyone.