Facebook can be described as a social networking site where people connect with the people in their lives and make online friends. When Facebook was founded, its main objective was to help people to connect with the people who are in their lives easily. However, users of Facebook have oftentimes misused it, and thus the networking site poses several risks to its users (Freouf 1). Among the users who face the biggest risk when using Facebook are teenagers, who may be blackmailed and manipulated through Facebook. It is, therefore, the responsibility of parents to ensure that their children are not addicted to Facebook. This paper is an in-depth analysis of the risks that Facebook poses to children and the steps that parents should take to ensure that their children do not become victims of Facebook use.
Background
Children, mostly teenagers are increasingly becoming addicted to Facebook. This poses a threat to their welfare. For instance, some teenagers become addicted to Facebook to the extent that they are unable to concentrate on their studies. Teenagers may spend so much time on Facebook that they may be unable to complete their homework. They may also be unable to study books due to their Facebook activities. Others even go to the extent of using their mobile phones to access Facebook, which makes it easy to access the site while in class. The result of this is that the grades of these children will drastically drop, courtesy of Facebook (Ferree 1). In addition to this, sex pests and criminals have been using Facebook as a platform for reaching their victims. Cases of children being sexually molested after meeting their molesters on Facebook are common. Most of these pedophiles pose as fellow teens and post appealing photos to win the trust of their victims. In 2010, three teenagers were murdered in Colombia after their names were posted on Facebook in a list of people to be killed (Schroeder 1). It is indubitable that Facebook played a great role as a platform facilitating the murder of these teens.
On the other hand, Facebook is a great platform if used for good reasons. Teenagers can use Facebook to communicate with their peers about social activities. This will make the children engage in healthy activities like games, socializing, etc., which will affect their grades positively. Additionally, Facebook makes children become technology/computer savvy quickly, and thus, if it is used well, it will be beneficial in the lives of the children (Fenichel 1). Facebook can also be used by Family members to contact each other in cases where its absence could lead to a desperate situation. Take the example of a lost teenager who does not have a way of calling home. All he/she will need to do is to contact his/her family members through Facebook, and the family will be able to trace him/her.
Personal opinion
It is common knowledge that Facebook is meant to be productive. The fact that a few people are misusing it does not mean that people should stop using it. This, therefore, calls for responsibility on the part of Facebook users. It is wise for Facebook users to avoid adding strangers as friends on Facebook. Users should also ensure that their accounts are satisfactorily secured to avoid unauthorized access to their personal information. This also calls for proper guidance of teenagers by their parents. The parents should also make sure that they are vigilant enough to ensure that their children do not get addicted to Facebook.
From this argument, the solution does not lie in refraining children from using Facebook, but it lies in regulating their Facebook activities and reigning in the kind of people the children befriend on Facebook. Parents should ensure that their children do not become addicted to Facebook by regulating the amount of time that the children spend on Facebook. This will ensure that the academic welfare of the children is not affected by Facebook. They should also forbid their children from any kind of friendships and communication with strangers because this can jeopardize the security of the children ( The Way Out 1). Parents should also talk to their children about the security threats that Facebook poses to them. The children should be aware of the activities and tricks of pedophiles and criminals so that they can be able to identify and report them when they encounter them on Facebook.
Conclusion
From this discussion, it is apparent that Facebook is just like any other good thing in life. People like misusing useful things in life to satisfy their desires. The bright side of this issue is that if Facebook users take care while using the platform, the sex pests, and criminals will never get them. Responsible use of Facebook will also ensure that people, especially children, do not get addicted to Facebook. It is thus of the essence for parents to guide their children on the use of Facebook, and be watchful to ensure that their children do not become victims of the irresponsible use of Facebook.
It is no longer business as usual since the information technology field started making leaps after the invention of the World Wide Web. Technologies such as YouTube and Facebook have henceforth emerged and they are influencing business activities in a big way. YouTube has turned from a mere entertainment channel to a promising advertisement avenue, more so due to its availability to the public for free. YouTube has millions of viewers worldwide and businesses can tap it to advertise their products widely. The technology is opening up advertisement opportunities for small business enterprises among other tapped and untapped opportunities. Facebook on the other hand has created an avenue for social advertising. This comes with the benefit of customizing advertisements and reaching masses due to its open accessibility and widespread availability. These two technologies still have a place in the future as they are yet to mature fully and enhance their features comprehensively, all to the advantage of businesses.
Introduction
Emerging technologies in the information technology field are undoubtedly changing the way business is conducted in the modern world. The advertising industry is particularly positively impacted by these emerging technologies. Two of the most influential and promising technologies in this age are the YouTube and Facebook, a social website. These two information technology innovations have turned from entertainment and social tools into very promising advertising avenues that businesses can tap and increase their awareness in a tremendous way that defies the traditional advertising avenues. This paper discusses the enormous potential that YouTube offers as a tool for influencing business, given that it is a widespread tool that is open to the public. Banking on the massive numbers of people who visit YouTube, this technology can be productively tapped by businesses. The paper also discusses the significance of Facebook in making a business known to as many people as are available in the social site. Moreover, the paper highlights on the advantages of customizing advertisements based on the wealth of information presented in Facebook profiles.
YouTube
YouTube provides the largest online platform for users to share videos and communicate with each other. Nowadays, YouTube is no not restricted as an entertaining tool to public, but also an increasingly widespread marketer and promoter for business. The website attracts over 60 million visitors monthly across the globe.
The way YouTube is used in business influence business
The impact of social media on business is remarkable and companies use YouTube to market their business through their own Channel. Users can upload the videos to their channel on YouTube and the more people visit, the popular their site will be. Consequently companies who are promoting their business will get more exposure opportunities. YouTube is also used for creating advertisements. There are plenty of cases that demonstrate social media tools boost business (Benjamin 2011). For example, small South African businesses release one-minute videos introducing the reasons why customers should buy their products or services and open up for discussion and response.
Also, the Internet marketing dynamo has used YouTube creatively to help Canada-based Jewellery businessice.com grow to an enterprise which generated more than $50 million in sales each year (Andrews 2009). This Jewellery Company has established a customer group who has no concerns regarding online purchase security. The video clips broadcasted through companys YouTube Channel purely develop the trustworthy relationship between sellers and customers.
The YouTube is the best free advertising platform for business to catch attention of public. This enables businesses to display the products. For example, two realtors have competed with each other on a trading places programme shown on YouTube (Real Ralph Bending Estate Agency: Trading Places Somerset Estate Agent Challenges London Estate Agent To Sell In The West Country 2009). The original inspiration is that one of the estate agents was banned from local newspapers as they simply tell the truth about the properties. So YouTube gives an alternative advertising and communication channel for small business that cannot afford to invest in TV commercials.
In addition, based on the functions of YouTube, business can make use of the channel to improve quality of customer service or promote their products. Some companies post solutions to frequently asked questions and products problems (Video Marketing 2011). Within the specific Channel or the link to firms website, customer support and product tours are provided to help customers get into know about products. Furthermore, companies will add the web address in the video, offer a contest or discounts. For most business users, YouTube has a free analysis tool available for users to take a glimpse of the results of video. Users can track the number of views, popularity and the ways videos are being found.
One of the most important features of Youtube is that people can get engaged with the whole YouTube community (Abrams 2011). By keeping up to date with community news and any changes in the website design and functionality, business can be informed of customer trends. It is equally effective to post link video clips on YouTube to other social media websites like Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook
Founded just 6 years, the market value has been up to $70 billion. Facebook is a legend. Now when people mention the Internet, the first jump into their mind is Facebook. Not only has peoples social has been change, but also it helps the advertising industry.
Facebook is an unprecedented open platform Internet. The users data such as file photo, friends, and relation status etc. is a great wealth to Facebook. No invasion of privacy, Facebook can easily acknowledge users name, age, looks, and friends circle through their profile or game information. So the advertising industry could use Facebook this priceless data platform to launch advertising or develop their markets.
Most of Facebook users are identified by their real information, So it will help advertisers to know the users information and their internet real track.
For the traditional Internet advertising, it costs a lot for advertisers to track users conduct trace to speculate their gender, age, hobbies, consumption ability. However this information is available on Facebook. Anyone can use Facebook to advertise. He/she just need to select the combination in the self-help advertising service. For example, only to a married 35 years old or above, live in Hong Kong woman display ads, or only for Taipei in a day to work of company white-collar display ads.
Because Facebook is a platform associated with real life and social. Incorporation with Facebook, the space and form of advertising will be greatly expanded. Through the spread by SNS, the fission influence and transmission will be much larger. For Example, on Valentines day, Honda send out a virtual gift, this is a little love red heart, writing with content moment also should fill the tank. This is the Honda brand advertising. 750,000 gifs were sent out. When users received the gift, they will send it to their friends, another 750,000 people. People start to talk about Honda, as a result, Facebook helps Honda win 200 million times display. This is the interactive advertising model with Facebook. In the future, it will be more and more popular
Future Services and Benefits
In the future social media will provide so many new services compared to the services that they are providing to the customers now. One of the major service that social media will provide is to help companies to do the decision making process by allowing them to integrate the social feedback. Many companies use social media to make strategic decisions and execute organizations marketing plans and objectives etc. This will allow creating new executives who think and behave in new ways.
Lots of people share their videos on social media on nowadays. People can shoot high definition videos and upload it to Facebook, YouTube and other social media networks. According to the article 10 ways social media will change in 2011 by Ravit Lichtenberg (2010) there were 5.4 videos were viewed and among them, 2 billion are on Facebook. In present those videos can only be uploaded but cannot edit them. However in the future, this video experience comes with new technology such as filtering, tagging, editing and locating tool. Most companies will use videos to provide information, so that they do not need to present it via text form. For example in Tweeter, it will allow them to use video for status messages than using text so that people will get more attracted and understand more about the company.
It is bit hard to manage relationship in present social media. However in the future people believe that there will be simple platforms and applications such as Diaspora, Path and Looppa to make communication easier. This will help people to create smaller and context specific communities. For companies this will allow facilitating custom branded, dynamic and engaging experience on online properties.
Today Facebook credits have become the mandatory virtual currency, which allows people to purchase items in games and other applications on the Facebook platform. Unfortunately these credits cannot be used to purchase physical goods directly, but some websites allow watching movies with Facebook credits. For example Warner Brothers activated viewing of the Dark Knight via its Facebook page for 30 Facebook Credits. However according to the article A look at the future of Facebook credits by Jason Kincaid, it says that they have now introduced a new feature called App2user credit. This allows users to earn Facebook credits in ways that dont involve paying with their credit cards. It has also been mentioned that these facebook credits could be used as the web currency in the near future. And these credits could offer a secure way to shop across a multitude of websites.
Another future service of Facebook is to allow people to create super public profiles. In this, people can create their profile and place their advertisements; pictures and parts of the profile will be advertised around the web. Updates of the profile will be posted on billboards as Facebook ads. With these profiles people can do their advertising. For example if a company has super Facebook public profile about the company, then they can do advertising via that profile, so that people who visit that website will intend to buy things from that company.
Nowadays YouTube can only upload videos and watch them via computers and smartphones such as iPhone etc. This is an disadvantage because people do not always use computers and also only few people have smartphones. However in the future YouTube is planning to allow people to upload their videos and watch those at anywhere such as living room, kitchen and outdoor etc. Therefore people can watch videos and upload them by using most of pocket devices such as phones and new video cameras.
YouTube movie rental service is another service that YouTube is planning to execute in the future. YouTube is making partnership with Hollywood film companies such as Warner Bros, Sony and Apple iTunes. This will allow people to watch new blockbuster full high definition and full-length movie for a cheaper price of $2. This will save time of people because they do not have to go to video shops to rent DVDs. With this service, people can buy or rent films and store it in the video store on YouTube.
Conclusion
YouTube and Facebook hold a promise of influencing businesses positively and enormously. If businesses are to utilize the opportunity of having customized channels as offered by YouTube, there is no doubt that such businesses will market themselves widely. Potential customers have the advantage of viewing the advertisement in video form, in addition to the chance of giving feedback as offered by YouTube applications. YouTube opens room for cheap advertising since it is free to the public hence allowing small enterprises to be seen. The functionality of YouTube enhances better customer service as the company can respond to FAQs via the YouTube channel or provide necessary links. It is also possible to assess the popularity of a given advert or product by tracking the number of views hence enhancing better decision making. It is also important to note that YouTube can be linked to other social sites such as Facebook hence giving synergistic results to the business. The open platform feature of Facebook plus the wealthy demographic data can be tapped by businesses to realize more effective advertising and marketing strategies. By tracking users, businesses can be able to customize advertisements. As a real life social media, Facebook is a rich platform for creating interactive and widespread advertising.
The future of the above two technologies is also very promising for businesses. Companies will have an opportunity to get social feedback thus enhancing decision making. The video feature in these technologies will be greatly developed and open up interactivity and customization. Facebook credits as a form of virtual currency is a foreseeable feature. Super public profiles will also enhance advertisement. YouTube services will soon be accessible using common handsets and cameras, in addition to promising rental services for the entertainment industry.
References
10 Ways Social Media Will Change in 2011. Web.
5 Ways Merchants Can Start Utilizing Facebook Credits. 2011. Web.
Abrams, M, 2011, 9 Effective Ways to Use YouTube for Business.
Andrews, R, 2009, Gifts, networking make firm sparkle; online jewellery firm has used social media for 10 years to grow company to $50 million in sales, The Gazette.
Benjamin, C, 2011, Business Day (South Africa): Online boost for business, Business Day.
Chad Hurley On The Future Of YouTube: We Will Conquer Every Screen | TechCrunch. 2011. Chad Hurley On The Future Of YouTube: We Will Conquer Every Screen | TechCrunch. Web.
Real Ralph Bending Estate Agency: Trading Places Somerset Estate Agent Challenges London Estate Agent To Sell In The West Country, 2009, M2 Presswire.
Video Marketing, 2011, Enterprise, Vol.17, No.2.
YouTube to launch movie rental service | Technology | guardian.co.uk. 2011. YouTube to launch movie rental service | Technology | guardian.co.uk. Web.
Currency transactions conducted online are a common form of monetary operations made today due to the extensive functionality of payment systems and methods. In addition, the principles of ensuring the security of such operations allow avoiding significant risks and guarantee interested parties the reliability of moving assets in the virtual space. However, in conditions of expanding opportunities of online trading, traditional currencies sometimes give way to cryptographic ones, which are characteristic exclusively of the Internet environment and, at the same time, perform the role of unified means of payment. As an object of analysis, this work aims to evaluate Facebooks Libra, a virtual currency introduced by the worlds most popular social network. In addition to an opportunity to purchase goods and services, this payment tool has convenient functions and sufficient advantages to become a single online transactional instrument. The introduction of Libra as a new currency is justified by the usefulness of creating a simple financial asset that can be positively accepted due to the worldwide expansion of virtual money.
Facebooks Reasons for Developing Libra
The announcement of the release of the new Libra cryptocurrency was presented by Facebook management on June 18, 2019 ( Libra Association, n.d.). According to Vasudevan (2020), the token of the same name will be the main payment element. It can be exchanged through standard operations by using funds that are denominated in the selected currency. Also, Libra is a convenient tool for safe paying for goods and services online. The cryptocurrency is not involved in credit and loan systems and is designed solely to support duty-free money transfers among interested parties (Vasudevan, 2020). Facebook management decided to develop this payment system due to its easy accessibility, which translates into an opportunity to pay for purchases in any place and condition. Also, the convenience of generating assets is one of the incentives to introduce such a payment mechanism. Two key sources of money dominate investors who are willing to promote the Libra and users of virtual tokens. The simplicity of the mechanism is a valuable aspect that explains the intention of Facebook management to include this system as a single platform for paying for goods and services via the social network.
Libras Difference from Other Cryptocurrencies
One of the differences between Libra and other cryptocurrencies is the presence of a guarantor, which is a certain amount of real financial assets. Vasudevan (2020) notes that each token of the system is protected by securities and bank deposits. In other words, the cryptocurrency has an appropriate background that protects its owners from the loss of assets and maintains the validity of all transactions. The management of reserves is organized to prevent Libra volatility. At the same time, the advantages and strengths of other cryptocurrencies, for instance, Bitcoin, are preserved. Transaction speed, reliable data encryption, hassle-free cross-border transfers, and other convenient functions make Libra a useful tool for paying for goods and services.
Another significant difference between the considered system and other cryptocurrencies is its stable cost. According to Vasudevan (2020), compared with other means of virtual payments, Libra guarantees that the network of financial flows will not fall and will not be interrupted, even if some of its validators are compromised. As a result, the reliability and stability of the cryptocurrency are its essential advantages and distinguish it from other virtual payment systems.
Consumers Reasons for Choosing Libra
As an ordinary consumer, I would prefer Libra to other cryptocurrencies for several reasons. Firstly, one of the important advantages of such a payment system is the lack of banks as intermediaries and financial coordinators. Since in standard transaction systems, there are threats associated with depreciation and other unforeseen exchange impacts, their intermediation carries certain risks. Libra, in turn, eliminates the participation of third parties in coordinating financial transactions and allows conducting all payments quickly and safely.
Secondly, the convenience of this cryptocurrency lies in the absence of the need for lengthy registration procedures. Authentication via Facebook makes it possible to avoid authorization on external platforms and helps to quickly switch among the possibilities of virtual payment. In addition, users of the social network can control their assets freely and have stable access to all necessary information, which eliminates the risks of unforeseen errors made in the process of managing funds.
Finally, Libra is a cryptocurrency that is suitable for all global financial transactions. It may be utilized by both individuals and legal entities as a single tool for paying. For ordinary consumers, such a system helps eliminate the challenges caused by lengthy bank transfers and requests processing. In addition, developers pay particular attention to intuitive control over finances, which can be carried out due to any gadgets. Therefore, the choice in favor of Libra is an objective decision to evaluate the advantages of this convenient cryptocurrency.
Libras Governing Structure
Libra has a clearly established mechanism for managing and coordinating the activities of the entire system. In the description of the Libra Association, which is an organization with a complex structure, the Libra Council is referred to as the key governing board ( Libra Association, n.d.). It is responsible for all decisions and activities of the project. A board of directors includes a list of individuals who control the Libra Associations various aspects of service delivery, for instance, operating officers, communications specialists, and other posts. This complex system is a convenient mechanism for monitoring the activities of the project at all its levels and contributes to establishing productive and smooth operations.
Today, Facebook seeks partnerships via the Libra Association and interacts with various market players. According to Vasudevan (2020), such a strategy helps the corporation to implement individual development plans successfully because communication with large market participants opens up great operational potential. Since Libra has not yet become a global cryptocurrency, the companys management needs to ensure its stable support and promotion in different circles. Therefore, partnerships with large Chinese banks and other reputable members of the global financial community open up growth prospects for the Libra Association and stimulate the interest of potential investors.
Reasons for Companies to Join the Libra Association
One of the reasons why different companies can pay attention to the activities of the Libra Association and join it is an opportunity to create a simple and stable system of direct payments. As Azouzi and Echchabi (2019) note, Facebooks project is developed so that to unite payments on a global scale and lower transaction costs, thereby giving stakeholders an opportunity to avoid complicated transactional procedures (p. 84). For international organizations, such a system is not only convenient but also safe since large financial flows are easier to control when the number of operations is minimized.
Another incentive for companies to join the Libra Association is open data collection mechanisms. Vasudevan (2020) argues that Libras predictive algorithms help expand the opportunities of the platform and provide partners with a convenient system for evaluating an investment. Active participation in the project allows for a more convenient data collection process, and the cycle closes. Thus, the management of the Libra Association, and potential investors, and partner companies can benefit from productive interaction and establish effective cooperation strategies.
Joining the Libra Association
CEOs Perspective
When acting as the CEO of a business organization, I would pay attention to the Libra Association and take an opportunity to interact with it. There are a number of reasons why this decision is objective and logical. For instance, when dealing with cryptocurrencies, using Libra is a good solution due to its stable cost. In conditions of economic instability and financial fluctuations in different industries, this characteristic is of high importance and guarantees the safety of assets.
Another potential incentive to collaborate with the Libra Association is a contribution to business development, in particular, an opportunity to interact with other major participants in the global financial community. Contracts with banks, which the Facebook management concludes today, are the key to broad operational possibilities in the future. Joining the Libra Association means participating in a system of international economic processes accompanied by creating partnerships and joint projects. As a result, this interaction has long-term prospects and may become the basis for successful market growth. Therefore, the interaction with the considered association is characterized by valuable perspectives and can be considered by the CEO of a business organization as an opportunity to increase the authority of his or her company.
Regulators Approach to Libra
The Libra Association, as a new player in the global financial market, has significant advantages over many competitors due to the flexibility of cash flows and monetary practices that allow tracking any illegitimate capital gains. At the same time, regulators from different countries and, in particular, the USA, as Vasudevan (2020) notes, react ambiguously to the possibility of the emergence of a new cryptocurrency. One of the fears is a complete transition to Libra as a single monetary unit of payment for transactions within Facebook. Regulators cannot prevent the social network from promoting a new financial mechanism and engaging potential partners and investors. Nevertheless, specific coordinating boards may incur obligations on the company to include support for other currencies in order to prevent the potential expansion of Libra and the depreciation of the dollar. Vasudevan (2020) mentions congressional hearings that took place in the summer of 2019, and Libra Associations activities were discussed in the context of the threat of a new economy emergence. Thus, regulators can coordinate the activities of the association in question, while not prohibiting the use of a new cryptocurrency.
Measures Taken by Regulators
Despite regulators concerns, the Libra Association is a project that does not aim to monopolize its new currency as a single transactional tool. In accordance with the missions that the management sets, transparent membership conditions are promoted, and cost reduction for many people is proposed ( Libra Association, n.d.). However, in order to safeguard the global economy, regulators may offer appropriate changes in the work of the Libra Association and oversee its activities based on the existing legislation.
In particular, one of the measures is the segregation of commercial activities from payments. According to Vasudevan (2020), regulators explain this practice as the need to protect household savings from the speculative excesses of fund-managers (p. 32). Another measure is to prevent the provision of freedom to financial institutions to conduct business independently. Vasudevan (2020) states that such an outcome is fraught with the loss of control over many enterprises economic indicators. As a result, regulators should pay attention to the legitimacy of companies cooperating with the Libra Association and coordinate the activities of the organization in question on the basis of the existing financial legislation.
Main Risks and Concerns for Market Participants
Despite the advantages of Libra as a new cryptocurrency, there are some risks for various stakeholders, including financial market participants and ordinary customers. For instance, for investors, there are no severe threats, although, in general, for these interested parties, profits will not be significant since all rights to Libra belong to Facebook. Digital risks are threats to customers, and they are associated with account hacks. According to Vasudevan (2020), users personal data are not always protected reliably enough to ensure complete security. As practice shows, Facebook has already encountered cases of information leakage, and such a result is potentially dangerous if the situation concerns real financial assets. For central banks, concerns suggest a threat of lower customer numbers and decreasing spheres of influence because Libra has the potential to replace a significant share of many domestic currencies. Finally, for Facebook itself, risks lie in the impossibility of entering the markets of individual countries and the potential costs of legal proceedings. However, all the described concerns do not exceed the advantages that the new cryptocurrency possesses.
Benefits for Facebook
The implementation of the new project is valuable and potentially profitable for Facebook. The world-famous social network can increase its capital significantly if many users and partners utilize the services of Libra. In addition, growth opportunities open up new markets and business directions. Partnerships with foreign corporations and major market participants are the key to sustainable activities and, in addition, increase the companys credibility among stakeholders.
The provision of free services to the population is one of Facebooks priorities. Based on the development plan, the ability to help users to reduce their costs meets the business development strategy and is highly significant in the context of achieving customer loyalty ( Libra Association, n.d.). Thus, promoting Libra globally has several potential benefits for Facebook as a company that interacts with millions of stakeholders and seeks to enhance its business potential.
Conclusion
The convenient and potentially profitable cryptocurrency Libra is a good Facebook solution due to the ability to simplify financial and economic relations among various stakeholders. This resource is unique and differs from other types of virtual money. Engaging with major market players is a legitimate Facebook managers strategy, and involved partners can also benefit from such collaboration. Regulators approach to the Libra Association should not contradict the existing legislation, but certain measures may be taken to protect domestic currencies. There are some risks for different stakeholders, but Libras advantages outweigh its potential weaknesses. The development of the new currency is in line with the innovative development strategy promoted by Facebook and is a profitable solution for the corporation.
References
Azouzi, D., & Echchabi, A. (2019). Libra announcement: Does it have an impact on Bitcoins price? Journal of Innovation in Business and Economics, 3(02), 83-90. Web.
Libra Association: Moving to a formal governance structure. (n.d.). Web.
Vasudevan, R. (2020). Libra and Facebooks money illusion. Challenge, 63(1), 21-39. Web.
Social movements have characterized most social, political, religious, and cultural struggles in the world history. It is already ten years into the 21st century but it is clear that technology, as a cultural tool, is at the epicenter of an emerging sociocultural struggle in which Facebook is a major player. Facebook tries to persuade users of its vision for technology.
The study of social movements, their ideology and function, should be approached by comprehending how their public pedagogy is persuasive (Melucci, 2006). This paper attempts to examine some of the cases in the recent past where social sites, and in specific, Facebook, have been instrumental in social movements.
The paper traces the origin of the phenomenon of social movements and social media, provides evidence for the recent influence, and concludes by recapping some of the key discussions in the body of the paper in an effort to support the thesis stated below.
Thesis
In the last several months, there has been a heated debate in the last couple of months concerning blogging, theories, and hype on the responsibility of the Internet in todays social movements. The social media includes Internet applications such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. All these have enabled the formation and exchange of user-related content.
In deed, the Internet has been making the world a much smaller place in which democracy and the market are sure to thrive. The latest testimony to these propositions has been the Occupy Wall Street protests in the late September and the Arab movements early this year.
This paper holds that social media, and in particular facebook played a pivotal role in fuelling these protests. Facebook allowed people to experience what others were feeling through a simple post.
Background
Intuitive studies in the milieu of social movements can be dated back in the 1950. Initially these movements were visualized as historical movements. They were perceived as attempts to develop or demolish institutions in the society through the art of rhetoric.
It is no surprise that today; the two subjects are still being studied under one roof. Scholars in the field of communication usually researched and analyzed social movements from a rhetorical paradigm based their arguments on concepts of meaning and discourse (Altinkson, 2010).
On the other hand, social scientists studied the topic from an empirical perspective based on the effects and measurement. In the later years of the research on social movements, the focus shifted to the examination of how the new social movements slough to establish political identity instead of creating or demolishing social institutions.
This was achieved through the use of images and visual rhetoric. Towards the end of the 20th century, communication scholars started to include the phenomenon of network in their research on new social movements (Touraine, 2001).
Initial research on the phenomenon of social movements identified two types of movements, as well as the various chronological stages for the development of the movements. The two types of movements found in the society are pro-movements and anti-movements. Pro-movements are meant to create or defend institutions while anti-movements are aimed at removing or demolishing institutions.
In the inception phase, the movement is mainly unknown and unseen by the general public. At this stage, the aggressor rhetoricians emerge to take the vanguard, creating arguments for or against particular institutions in society (Hardt & Negri, 2004).
In the stage of rhetorical crisis, defendants of the status quo take notice of the growing arguments made by the aggressor rhetoricians. The defendants begin to mobilize their resources and arguments. At this point, an event takes place, which triggers a public and visible clash between the groups. This, definitely, disturbs the equilibrium existing between the two groups existing in the minds of the general public.
This clash marks the end since the movement enters into the phase of consummation. At this stage, the aggressor rhetoricians leave their work. They feel they have succeeded in their cause, they have been defeated, or there is a new cause that they should attend (Downing, 2001).
Social scientists began to concentrate on collective behavior in social movements with regard to stages that rise as a result of different political and social factors. The researches demonstrated that social movements are marked by social strain, growth, and spread of beliefs, triggers for localized social action, mass mobilization, and social control (Touraine, 2001).
The social movements or collective action, as early researches called them, start with the strain experienced by an initial group of social actors as they come to realize that something is wrong with society (Schock, 2005). Those beliefs sprout outward beyond the original group. As the other phases unfold, the participants collective behavior increases in momentum.
The early years of research on social movements saw rhetoricians focusing mainly on the stages of historical movements. The works shifted focus to discourse and exigencies in the social environment resulting to the adoption of concepts of rhetoric, image, and identity by researches.
However, with the origin of the new social movements, the concept has come to describe contemporary social movements aimed at shaping political identities or challenge social roles and norms. This is achieved through the use of radical performance, image politics, and interactive technology (Castells, 2006). The last category forms the bulk of this research.
Evidence
The use of interactive technology in social movements has made such organizations smaller, non-hierarchical, and more decentralized compared to their predecessors. The first case to be considered in this research in order to substantiate this claim by modern researches in social movements is the Arab movements. It is well known that social movements are as a result of the union of social, economic, cultural, and political factors.
This held true to the case of the Arab Spring movements. Years of government corruption, bourgeoisie economic self-interest, arrogance of the authority, as well as milestone economic inequalities, were the main reasons as to why these social movements arose (Kaldor, 2003).
In Egypt, Facebook is the second most popular site. By the time of the protests, Egypt had five million Facebook accounts. Protesters used Facebook to organize, schedule and peercast protests. The latter refers to the sharing of mobile pictures and videos with peers. The pictures captured disseminated through Facebook offered an intuitive view into the protests than what many people could seen on TVs.
This demonstrated a people with a common cause willing to transform their country (Hann & Dunn, 2006). The Arab Spring Movement supports the idea that the civil society is becoming a truly global phenomenon. In deed, some scholars like Kaldor argue that such types of movements are becoming more important than domestic, civil society (Kaldor, 2003).
The protesters are using Facebook to organize their schedules. The site makes it possible for protesters to communicate with one another, as well as aids in recruiting new participants (Schock, 2005). The site also comes in handy in updates concerning change of locations, strategies, or latent dangers.
Photos and videos of polices response to protesters are shared and disseminated instantaneously before the other forms of media can do so. This concept of social movements is best explained by Tarry when the scholar posits that such movements begin as local networks (Tarrow, 2005).
However, they spread through the diffusion of contention and ultimately either disappear or scale up to regional and national levels. In the case of Wall Street protests, the movement is gaining momentum in other cities, courtesy of social networking propagated by Facebook.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the above-discussed case studies show a rising trend amongst protesters to underscore other forms of media in support of user-generated media to disseminate news.
Owing to the fact that recent social movements hit the Internet via sites such as Facebook long before the local news, the conventional media channels may be headed to a future of irrelevance and uncertainty if they fail to recognize to see the stories before can be ignored.
References
Altinkson, J., 2010, Alternative media and politics of resistance: a communication perspective. New York: Peter Lang Inc.
Castells, M., 2006, The rise of the Network Society, the Information Age: economy, society and culture, Vol. I. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell
Downing J., 2001, Radical media: Rebellious communication and social movements. London: SAGE Publishers.
Hann, C., & Dunn, E., 2006, Civil society: Challenging Western models. London: Routledge.
Hardt, M., & Negri, A., 2004, Multitude: War and democracy in the Age of Empire. New York: Penguin Press.
Kaldor, M., 2003, Global civil society, International Affairs, 79: 583-93.
Melucci, A., 2006, Challenging codes: Collective action in the Information Age. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schock, K., 2005, Unarmed insurrections: people power movements in non- democracies. Minnesota: Minnesota Press.
Tarrow, S., 2005, The new transnational activism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Touraine, A., 2001, The voice and the eye: An analysis of social movements. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
There was a thought once that Internet would eradicate social divisions and inequalities among the Americans but the emergency of Facebook after MySpace showed that this was far from reaching. The movement of teens from MySpace to Facebook brought about this reality. The introduction of Internet did not make people colorblind. In essence, the internet mirrors and boosts everyday life, advancing racism and class-based divisions in American society.
Class and race are magnified in the social sites by tastes, aesthetics, and language and network structures. Many teens had used MySpace before Facebook came up, and it was cool for all until it was associated with black cultures that brought about hip-hop. Many elites, in this case, the whites, thought that this was endangering the lives of their well-behaved children. This led to banishing MySpace and forcing the kids to detach from the social site. It was associated with ghetto that was connected to the life of the black race.
MySpace and Facebook are not explicitly defined in terms of race but associations have proved this right. Social networking sites provide youths with a platform for socializing with friends for matters of personal preferences, safety and presence of their friends. The teens in America segregated along the same lines that shape their social relations, which include socio-economic status, race and ethnicity, educational goals and lifestyles.
Moving from MySpace to Facebook happened because of the above-mentioned reasons. It is true that values and norms of a person are directly linked with his/her identity and membership. Additionally, norms always differ across racial and ethnic groups, and as Tatum (1997) says, they are reinforced as people of color seek to identify with their racial and ethnic background.
MySpace was associated with gangster lifestyles, and this never went well with the elites. As a result, self-segregation emerged entailing belonging, identity development and navigated systematic racism. As a result, the Blacks preferred something that would show their lifestyle to the best advantage, something that would not compromise them.
With emergence of Facebook, which many viewed clean and well secured as opposed to MySpace with its spammers which had held its users as hostages, many teens moved to the new social site. The cleanliness in Facebook did not go well with the teens who preferred bling in MySpace to express themselves. These happened to be the mostly blacks, and thus, the segregation and movement touched on race and class.
Teens love style that brings out their identities and social groups, which MySpace allows them to express while Facebook is a little bit stringent on the same. This called for divisions, especially when people of color chose MySpace for this simple aspect while the whites moved to Facebook with its limited options.
These styles navigated race and class automatically. Additionally, taste was an aspect that was a key in teens engagements with MySpace and Facebook. Many of the youths listed their musical tastes on their profiles in MySpace. The most liked genre that stood out was hip-hop, which stemmed from the black culture. This made it easier for the black teens to bling in MySpace because of identity expression ability.
In conclusion, all these aspects touched race and class that led to the movement of some people from MySpace to Facebook. The social sites will always carry these aspects with them shaped by race and class. This is so because MySpace was viewed as for the ghetto, which signified uneducated people, while Facebook, just as it started in the college, was for the elites. The elites happen to be the whites here while the rest are the people of color.
Works Cited
Tatum, Beverly. 1997. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria and other Conversations About Race. New York: Basic Books. Print.
Using modern technology for communication, including social networking websites, is impossible without sharing personal information, which is associated with privacy concerns. Nevertheless, in many cases, social media users do not recognize the negative implications of making their information available to others. This finds reflection in the failure to read social networking sites privacy policy statements. The purpose of this response is to apply TRUSTes policy writing guidelines to analyze the privacy policy of Facebook, Inc.
The organizations policy deserves positive feedback in terms of readability and incorporates TRUSTes advice regarding consumer-friendly statements. Facebooks privacy policy has been updated in 2018 and 2021 to implement the California Consumer Privacy Act and make other changes (Facebook, 2021; Pardau, 2019). The policy exists in the form of a well-structured web page that instructs the users of Facebook products on the types of collected information, its uses, including complying with legal requests, data sharing, deleting personal information, policy change processes, and California residents consumer privacy rights (Facebook, 2021).
The policy is readable and easy to understand for an average English-speaking adult since technology-related terms, for instance, cookies or metadata, are explained and illustrated with examples (Facebook, 2021). The extensive use of lists, including the types of personal information and information about devices that the website obtains, also adds to the resources readability (Facebook, 2021). All of this makes the policy consistent with TRUSTes guidelines regarding the presence of explanatory notes instead of legalese.
To continue due to content and presentation, the policy makes me comfortable to continue doing business with Facebook. As per the guidelines by TRUSTe (2004), effective privacy statements must have clear notice forms detailing what information is collected and how it is used, instructions regarding how consumers can correct or remove their personal information, and the websites security precautions, and grievance redress mechanisms. Facebooks (2021) updated policy explicitly addresses all of these elements; however, accessing detailed information on Facebook security features and risk minimization instructions requires opening the help center link. For some users, this might reduce the documents convenience, but relevant information on security protection is still easy to access for anyone with minimal computer literacy.
Despite certain lengthiness, different sections of the policy are presented in a way that considers diverse users priorities and queries. One thing that is a bit surprising is the attention devoted to explaining things that might be intuitively clear for many consumers. As an example, the section about users rights specifies that the decision to delete ones Facebook account leads to the irreversible removal of status updates, photos, and messages, but information about this account shared by other users cannot be deleted due to not being part of this account (Facebook, 2021). The discussed guidelines emphasize achieving the right balance between short and lengthy statements and listing the most relevant aspects of privacy policies first to observe the principle of relevance (TRUSTe, 2004).
Facebooks policy is on the lengthier side, but it considers the prioritization rule and proceeds from users most common questions to more specific subtopics, such as minors and online safety (Facebook, 2021). Moreover, the web page uses an interactive menu that makes the document easier to navigate and comprehend (Facebook, 2021). This enables users to access information that interests them most of all.
To sum up, Facebooks current privacy policy observes the majority of TRUSTes recommendations, which guarantees users positive impressions. Specifically, the policy delves into all aspects of using customers personal data and explains critical terms in plain language, making the text easier to understand for non-professionals. Considering this, the information about privacy and customer protection mechanisms shared by the social network can inspire trust in different users.
References
Facebook. (2021). Data policy. Web.
Pardau, S. L. (2019). The California Consumer Privacy Act: Towards a European-style privacy regime in the United States. Journal of Technology & Policy, 23, 69-100.
Last month, I was at a Model United Nations conference held at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Being one of the protocol officers my assignment was similar to that of an usher at the same time I was to ensure that all protocols of the room are observed. It also meant that I had to constantly be moving around the hall to pick note papers from delegates either addressed to other delegates or the chair. Most delegates had laptops in the room connected to the internet and my surprise a good number of them were misusing the privileges of the internet provided by the UN by accessing Facebook and other social networking sites. It was not surprising that most of the delegates doing this were not contributing to the deliberations going on at the conference. Facebook addiction has had negative effects on many young people and teenagers especially students.
Firstly, it consumes most of their precious time that they can use to do something constructive. I have witnessed on several occasions that I have been to the university library, how some students spend a lot of time chatting on Facebook and social networking instead of engaging themselves in studying. There was even a moment when I saw a friend of mine who had a statistics paper the following day but decided to spend half the time he was in the library on Facebook instead of reading for his paper. Even when he began to read for his paper, the Facebook page was still on so that he could see any new notifications coming. If it is not by using a computer then it is by using a phone that can access the internet, either way, addicts have to Facebook.
The other negative impact Facebook has over its abusers is that both Facebook and other social networking sites tend to spoil written communication, especially among students. The way people communicate using Facebook is very informal and most of the language used in Facebook cannot be used in any formal writing. A student who is addicted to Facebook will get influenced by the social networking language. He will eventually forget and use it in formal writing setup in school. Just a few weeks ago I came across my younger brothers composition paper. As I was reading the paper I was surprised to see abbreviations normally used with social networking such as us instead of you, and xul instead of school among others.
Lastly, in connection with the points discussed above, facebook and social networking can deteriorate grades and performances of average students and employees. This addiction is not only witnessed among students but also in the places of work. A student who spends a lot of time on facebook will eventually have low grades at the end of an academic period. This is because he or she will have spent a lot time social networking instead of focusing on books. Similarly, an employee who uses office hours to facebook will have poor performance of his duties. Companies have come up with a good way of taking care of employees who are fond of this by blocking all popular social networking sites during official working hours. I witnessed this once when I visited my dad at his place of work.
The initial intention of facebook was not to cause people to get addicted to it. It was meant to connect people by creating a network of friends. From facebook one could easily find friends they had couple of years ago. If moderated, then facebook can really serve its purpose.
Many studies have been undertaken on social network infidelity (Cravens & Whiting, 2014). Investigations have looked at how the use of chat rooms and pornography can harm marriages and relations between lovers. Current media attention has emphasized on Facebook as an essential medium, which can expedite internet infidelity behaviors.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that minimum explorations have been focused on the role of Facebook in promoting cheating. The prevailing literature proposes that the issue has considerable impacts. In the article below, issues concerning Facebook infidelity are highlighted.
Facebook is a leading social networking site, which enables people to interact. The website permits users to come up with profiles comprising of their self-description, interests, and relationship statuses. It lets members to interrelate through viewing profiles, commenting on posts, sharing images, and sending chats.
Since its establishment in the year 2004, the website has grown to be one of the greatest social networking sites (Helsper & Whitty, 2010). The site has over one billion active members. Because of this, it is alleged that one in every six people on the globe is an active member. In the last few years, an upsurge in online dating especially via Facebook has led to an increase in online infidelity.
Infidelity is described as a defilement of the marital contract, a disloyalty of ones trust, and a risk of the matrimonial bond. Studies done on this topic have focused on three forms of unfaithfulness. They are sexual, emotional, and online infidelities. Facebook infidelity refers to a passionate relationship with somebody other than the partner that commences and is sustained through this websites chats.
Because of the increase in the use of social networking sites, it would be helpful to comprehend how Facebook unfaithfulness is comparable or dissimilar to other infidelity conducts.
Some studies have explored the meaning of disloyalty, what manners establish infidelity, gender variances, upgrading relationships after infidelity, and motivational issues (Wysocki & Childers, 2011). Inquiries have proved that relationships undergo through analogous undesirable outcomes with Facebook infidelity as they do with offline unfaithfulness.
What constitutes Facebook infidelity?
Just like other forms of unfaithfulness, Facebook members differ in the manner through which they perceive cheating. It should be noted that people who are engaged in Facebook infidelity have difficulties in deciding if their behaviors are unsuitable or not (Wysocki & Childers, 2011).
Furthermore, these members recount a variety of dissimilar Facebook-specific manners that have occasionally been unfitting. They include befriending an ex-partner, sending friend requests to good-looking members, exchanging private posts to other users, remarking on pretty users depictions, and posting inappropriate relationship status.
Confidentiality is also a concern for Facebook unfaithfulness. Members are capable to customize their accounts with secret codes, which inhibit their spouses from accessing them.
The capability to chat with other members from an individuals account has made it possible for users to engage in inappropriate conducts even while their spouses are within the same apartment. Furthermore, Facebook permits users to come up with phony accounts or many profiles. In this regard, when a lover has a profile that is kept undisclosed it encourages infidelity behaviors.
Facebook infidelity is comparable to other types of online unfaithfulness because it is problematic to define. Similarly, persons have contradictory views about what Facebook manners should be considered as infidelity. What is exclusive about Facebook unfaithfulness is the level of dealings that this social media offers its members.
As such, Facebook members can see profiles, surf through images, chat with other users in live time, and send secretive messages. Through this feature, Facebook offers members with many forms of interaction enabling them to unite with other online users. Likewise, some spouses may have a robust response to conducts that touches on Facebook friends.
For instance, a companion may be more distressed about an online communication with a close friend than one with a stranger on social media because the supposed infidelity may be sustained offline. Investigations indicate that Facebook users develop a stronger response to connections that have higher chances of being continued offline.
How Facebook facilitates affairs
There is less doubt that Facebook has the capability to promote cheating behaviors and affect offline relations because of the increase in the number of separations mentioning it as a causative feature.
Leckie & Whiting (2012) carried out investigations to determine the specific actions that encouraged Facebook infidelity and the actions considered cheating. In this study, participants indicated that the use of Facebook facilitated practices that encouraged infidelity. To some extent, 52% of the participants recognized their lovers behavior as infidelity.
One exceptional discovery of this investigation is associated with the precise functions of Facebook (Leckie & Whiting, 2012). For instance, members discussed the awkwardness and the disgrace they experienced when they found out that their lovers were engaged in online fidelity. Similarly, it was noted that many of those who were caught in the act claimed they were innocent. Such persons played the role of victims.
They stated that their privacy had been compromised (Leckie & Whiting, 2012). Equally, participants highlighted the features of retribution that were Facebook-related. The aspects noted were blocking, unfriending of a lover, communicating with a third party member, pestering of a third party, and posting comments that disclosed the disputes in their relationship.
Motivating factors for Facebook infidelity
Many prototypes have been designed to describe how Facebook infidelity varies from offline cheating (Raguram & Mao, 2009). Similar models have been established to show why Facebook is an addicting medium for starting relations, how it contributes to the growth of relationships, and how it adds to relationship difficulties. One of the pioneer prototypes to be produced was Coopers triple A. The prototype illustrated three features that made Facebook infidelity dissimilar from offline cheating.
The aspects identified were accessibility, affordability, and anonymity. The model as later redesigned to accommodate an additional A. The letter represented the approximation. Approximation referred to the regions of experimentation, which Facebook and other social networks offer their members. As such, Facebook enables users to try out with their erotic fantasies or new manners that might not be comfortable being explored offline.
Other researchers that have contributed to the understanding of these factors are Young, Leiblum, and Doring (Raguram & Mao, 2009). The three scholars came up with models, which emulated Coopers triple A model. Young designed a prototype called the ACE model. The letters represented anonymity, convenience, and escape.
The above prototype was developed with the aim of clarifying how Facebook and other online users develop addictive behaviors. On the contrary, Leiblum and Doring created a model referred as the triple C engine (Raguram & Mao, 2009). The prototype highlighted the collaborative constituents of the Internet. They included communication, collaboration, and communities. The above models focus on the importance of interpersonal and collaborative aspects, which influences Facebook infidelity.
Raguram & Mao (2009) conducted similar investigations. Their studies were focused on the extensive appraisal of printed empirical studies, which inspected causative features of online-related relationship difficulties. Together, the two scholars came up with five As model.
The letters represented anonymity, affordability, approximation, acceptability, and, accessibility. Later, two As were added. They represented ambiguity and accommodation. Through this model, they argued that when a spouse feels controlled in the relations or marriage, Facebook and other social networking sites offer them with a platform to chase their perfect visualization of self.
The impact of Facebook infidelity
An investigation on the effects of Facebook cheating proposes that these spouses are influenced in comparable ways as offline infidelity. Fundamental emotional responses to Facebook betrayal were hurt, loss of faith, tremor, suspicion, shame, and annoyance. Similarly, such situations force companions to settle on difficult choices about whether to stay or terminate their relationship.
Such, circumstances are also experienced in offline infidelity. Cravens and Whiting also established that in reaction to an imaginary situation about Facebook disloyalty, 64% of the members suggested that their relationship terminated (Raguram & Mao, 2009). Other undesirable effects encompassed loss of faith, quarreling, reprisal, and adverse emotions.
The number of persons who will notice Facebook unfaithfulness of their friends is higher compared to offline infidelity. The above is true because of Facebooks popularity among close friends. Usually, when a spouse is caught engaging in disloyal acts offline persons who become informed of it may be restricted to associates or kinfolks.
With Facebook and other social networks, when unfair behaviors are displayed on an individuals profile the disloyalty will be recognized by most of his or her friends. The above situations might result in more levels of humiliation or annoyance.
Clinical implications
Clinicians working with partners who have been victims of Facebook disloyalty should emphasize in numerous areas during treatment (Whitty, 2003). They are an evaluation, boundary, rule setting, and dispensation of sentiments related to the unfaithfulness. Evaluation of Facebook unfaithfulness should emphasize on numerous factors. Such features might include reconnoitering the involved partners, discovering how spouses perceive these conducts and the motivational elements in existence.
Cravens & Whiting (2014) categorized many of areas, which can be evaluated when addressing Facebook infidelity manners to differentiate if they are online betrayal or a habitual conduct. The first two areas of evaluation comprised of involved spouses and their perception of the problem. Clinicians were encouraged to explore the whereabouts of the third parties when trying to diagnose the impacts and cause of Facebook infidelity.
Through this, the physician can seek to establish the third partys physical location and his or her relations with the client. Similarly, the clinician should identify if an offline relationship exists between the two individuals. Based on the above illustrations, it is apparent that collecting facts about the third party is the surest approach to evaluating the harshness of the disloyalty.
Another means to evaluate for severity is inquiring both spouses perception of the problem (Wysocki & Childers, 2011). Based on the varied available descriptions of Facebook and online infidelity, clinicians ought to seek from both couples their understanding of conduct that establish infidelity and if both spouses come to an agreement on the issue. It is likely that the partner caught in the act will disagree with the behavior being termed infidelity. Similarly, the non-participating partner will most probably recognize the conduct as cheating.
After the clinician and the spouses have understood the behaviors they believe to be unsuitable, they should emphasis on interactive guidelines and boundaries for using Facebook (Wysocki & Childers, 2011). Therapists ought to encourage the couples to debate how these rules and limitations will be implemented. They should analyze some of the following questions:
Will they share PINs of their Facebook accounts?
Will they permit one another to log into their Facebook accounts?
What type of relationship status is to be posted on their account?
What are the benefits of sharing passwords?
During the discussion, the clinician should help the spouses to reach a consensus on many vital issues. Through this, the involved parties will be able to agree on what is ideal for their relations.
The last clinical subject that should be emphasized when addressing Facebook unfaithfulness deals with treating the diverse feelings associated with the effect of the conduct on the nonparticipating spouse (Wysocki & Childers, 2011). The clinician should evaluate for each lovers opinion on whether the identified online behaviors are overpassing a social boundary.
When one spouse views Facebook performances as deceitful and the other one tone them down, it is likely that the nonparticipating lover will not feel contented to express his or her sentiments. For instance, the clinicians should ask the following questions:
What feelings have you had after being informed of your companions Facebook infidelity?
How has your mate responded towards these moods?
Do you believe that it is satisfactory to be feeling this way about Facebook infidelity?
Regulating the choice of sentiments felt and providing space for the spouse to express them in hearing will be a significant feature throughout this phase of management. The above will work best when the participating spouse believes Facebook conducts are not deceitful.
Furthermore, the likelihood that all of the couples Facebook friends may become aware of his or her infidelity may enhance the moods of awkwardness, annoyance, and disgrace. The above might not have been so protuberant if the event was not openly exhibited on Facebook. Therapeutic meetings can be devoted to talking about apprehensions associated with the effect of the unfaithfulness on Facebook and how to accomplish what is displayed on this website.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that many studies have been undertaken on the issue of social network infidelity. Investigations have looked at the behaviors through which the use of chat rooms and pornography can harm marriages and relations between lovers. Current media attention has emphasized on Facebook as an essential medium, which can expedite Internet infidelity manners. Just like other forms of unfaithfulness, members of this website differ in the way through which they perceive cheating.
Scholars have noted that people who had engaged in Facebook infidelity were having difficulties in deciding if their conduct was unsuitable or not. Furthermore, these members recounted a variety of dissimilar Facebook-specific manners that have occasionally been unfitting. Investigations on the effects of Facebook cheating propose that these spouses are impacted in comparable ways as offline infidelity. Fundamental emotional responses to Facebook betrayal were hurt, loss of faith, tremor, suspicion, shame, and annoyance.
References
Cravens, J., & Whiting, J. (2014). Clinical Implications of Internet Infidelity: Where Facebook Fits In. The American Journal Of Family Therapy, 42(4), 325-339.
Helsper, E., & Whitty, M. (2010). Netiquette within married couples: Agreement about acceptable online behavior and surveillance between partners. Computers In Human Behavior, 26(5), 916-926.
Leckie, K., & Whiting, J. (2012). Facebook Infidelity: When Poking Becomes Problematic. Contemp Fam Ther, 35(1), 74-90.
Raguram, A., & Mao, A. (2009). Online infidelity: The new challenge to marriages. Indian Journal Of Psychiatry, 51(4), 302-305.
Whitty, M. (2003). Pushing the Wrong Buttons: Mens and Womens Attitudes toward Online and Offline Infidelity. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 6(6), 569-579.
Wysocki, D., & Childers, C. (2011). Let My Fingers Do the Talking: Sexting and Infidelity in Cyberspace. Sexuality & Culture, 15(3), 217-239.
Living in the world of the newest information and communication technologies has changed the lives of ordinary people. Today, they do not have to leave their homes to communicate with their friends and make new acquaintances, buy goods or promote their own business, obtain education or gain assistance in educational issues. What if I told you that Facebook can cope with all these tasks at once, and does it effectively?
The purpose of this study was to choose a specific social media platform and define what powerful benefits it has on the people in my local area. First of all, I would like to highlight that the people of my local area are those who are the closest to me, whom I can see and communicate with on a daily basis. These are my peers. This decision was obvious because, with their help, I could define what are the benefits that they receive from using Facebook. Moreover, I wanted the insight to be fresh and modern that is why I have asked people my age to help me. What I want to stress on is that they use the social network daily and are close to being called social network addicts. Together with that, they managed to turn Facebook into an instrument for achieving their set goals.
As the basis for my research, I decided that I needed to make some investigation on the subject with the aim of defining the reasons for Facebooks popularity with young people. Second, I believed that I should first define the theoretical benefits of the social network and then seek for approving them from my friends words. Let me begin with one simple fact from the statistics: average American spends about 40 minutes a day checking his Facebook account ( 7 Powerful Facebook Facts for Business Owners par. 4). It means that it is a popular social network, and what I believe is that it owes its popularity with young people to the fact that it was launched by the students, who knew how to make something attractive to people like them. I learned that Facebook grants its constant users three powerful benefits: communication, education, and business.
The initial goal of Facebook was to create a platform for communicating and making new acquaintances. It is the first powerful benefit the social network gives to its users it enhances their social lives (Gafni and Deri 46). One of my friends, let us call him John for the sake of anonymousness, said that Facebook builds up his social capital through the amount of friends he has there. He believed that he owes his popularity to the number of people who follow him and read his wall. Bearing in mind that social capital is based on the outcomes of various relationships with other people and their structure (Johnston et al. 25), I agree with John that Facebook adds to it, however, I would not want to amplify about the quality of this capital. I will just admit this fact.
Another my friend, I will call her Ann, did not get into details and ink-horn terms. All she said is that this social network is a perfect way to keep in touch with old friends, especially when you are busy or out of town, and make new acquaintances based on mutual interests. However, she brought up an interesting item the issue of hashtags. Ann told me that it is the most powerful benefit that Facebook could give her because she has met many interesting people simply by browsing the hashtags. I like her point of view. Together with John, they approved that Facebook is an effective platform for communication and making new acquaintances.
Except for communication purposes, this social network is often used for obtaining assistance with educational matters. One of my interviewees, let us call her Cathleen, said that she is not a Facebook-addict. The reason for checking her account frequently is because she gets plenty useful information regarding studying from the posts of her friends and professors. Indeed, Facebook has become a social platform for expressing opinions that very often might be significant in obtaining the education. For example, professors can post notes with useful information from the lectures or for the new course as well as the users have an opportunity to consult with each others or their teacher without leaving homes, so, it saves a lot if time (Gafni and Deri 55-56). Of course, there might be a matter of concern arising from the amount of time spent for browsing Facebook, even if the initial purpose was academic, but it is a whole new story. Facebook has proved that it can be an efficient platform for exchanging information.
Finally, this social network has become a frequently used instrument for doing business. It was long ago that business has moved to the electronic sphere, but its shift to the dimension of social networking is something new. One of my peers, let us call him Mike, said that Facebook is a perfect marketing tool. He mentioned something similar to Johns concept of social capital but in the aspect of making business. Mike told that what has become popular is announcing discounts for the followers of particular Facebook profiles belonging to sales companies. Moreover, he said that it is an incredible tool for promoting business, especially start-up. The reason for Facebooks popularity is this sphere is that when people like some profiles, they share its posts, and it become well known. Another way of promoting the company is promising the friend who shared the story of successful cooperation with it a discount for the next purchase (Bradley par. 6). The strategies with price reductions really work.
Finally, the last but not the least opinion regarding Facebooks powerful benefits is that of Carol, another my interviewee. She stated two precious points at once. First, she claimed that Facebook is a low-cost but productive marketing strategy. Indeed, all the company needs is the person who will work on promoting the business without spending thousands of dollars on advertising. In addition, together with the number of everyday logins and bearing in mind previously mentioned strategies for promoting business, Facebook is a perfect marketing tool ( Benefits of Facebook for Business par. 2). Second, Carol mentioned what is even more important than promoting business finding new customers. In fact, it can be easily achieved by sharing the basic information about the company and the goods and services it offers and share them by means of, for example, hashtags or ads (Patel par. 7).
So, my friends whom I interviewed helped me to realize that what is written about the powerful benefits of Facebook is indeed true. At least, their experiences demonstrate that this social network enhances communication and help in making new acquaintances, is effective for reaching educational objectives, and as well is a perfect tool for promoting business. Bearing it all in mind, I do believe that it is not the maximum of the Facebooks potential and that in the nearest future, the development team will offer new options for using this social network for improving our everyday lives.
Works Cited
7 Powerful Facebook Facts for Business Owners. 2016. Web.
Benefits of Facebook for Business. 2014. Web.
Bradley, Tony. Three Ways Business Can Take Advantage of Facebook Places. n.d. Web. 2016.
Gafni, Ruti, and Moran Deri. Costs and Benefits for Undergraduate Students. Interdisciplinary Journal of information, Knowledge, and Management 7.1 (2012): 45-61. Print.
Johnston, Kevin, Maureen Tanner, Nishant Lalla and Dori Kawalski. Social Capital: The benefit of Facebook Friends. Behavior & information Technology 32.1 (2013). 24-36. Print.
Patel, Rajesh. What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Facebook. 2015. Web.
This article describes unexpected resonance connected with the policy of Facebook about personal data. Dina Srinivasan, a former digital advertising executive, published her article in which she stated that Facebook harmed consumers by charging them ever-increasing amounts of personal data to use its platform (Horwitz, 2019, para. 3). She was extremely surprised to know that her work attracted highly substantial attention as she did not have a law license or any institutional affiliation. Nevertheless, Dina Srinivasan was invited to present her article at several antitrust conferences. The representatives of Facebook denied Srinivasans claims that the company tracks its users in an aggressive or unique fashion (Horwitz, 2019, para. 8). However, the emerged social resonance demonstrated the necessity of the antitrust laws review.
Economic Concept
The article refers to the protection of personal data that may be inappropriately used by large social networks against the will of their users. Facebook previously confirmed that it would track users via the login and like buttons embedded in millions of news sites, online retailers and games for effective targeting and advertising (Horwitz, 2019, para. 24). In fact, a prevalent number of users rejected being tracked even though Facebook offers its services free of charge. That is why Srinivasans article was positively evaluated by the public and initiated the consideration related to antitrust law.
Opinion
From a personal perspective, the practice of the companies use of peoples private information without their agreement is unethical and illegal. Customers do not know who may use their data and for what reason. In order to minimize the clients risks of being harmed, Facebook and other large multinational retail companies and social networks should change their policies and certain business practices to protect personal data.
Reference
Horwitz, J. (2019). She Argued Facebook Is a Monopoly. To Her Surprise, People Listened. The Wall Street Journal. Web.