“The Facebook Sonnet” poem by Sherman Alexie examines the advantages and disadvantages of social media and the ways it impacts in-person relations. While Facebook enables individuals to associate with young and old acquaintances, it does so in exchange for traditional social commitment. Individuals may promptly interact digitally with a single touch of a button. Alexie strives to maintain that while a person may be as dominant as they desire on social networks, the person-to-person connection amounts more in life. Individuals must recognize everything they possess and dwell in the present for genuine relationships to flourish.
“The Facebook Sonnet” is a poetic form; however, it rhymes differently than many classic poems. “High school” and “cruel”, for example, are similar words but lack identical sounds. Alexie’s slant rhymes demonstrate that he does not value Facebook adequately to create the words’ rhyme. Through Alexie’s degraded words in the poem, he has repeatedly shown how this social networking website harms society. When it comes to social media, Alexie thinks Facebook is a poor method to connect with people since it encourages them to retreat behind their computers.
The literary devices, enjambment and caesura, are widely employed to describe how poems utilize pauses. Both of these options are better than halting after a line. Caesura may be used sparingly to offer a pause between words. It maintains a seamless flow and is relaxing to read. Furthermore, caesura creates a significant break to give a statement a dramatic effect. The reader is encouraged to continue reading via the enjambment technique. When an enjambed line is viewed as an entire segment, it creates meaning. The Facebook Sonnet uses the enjambment and caesura approaches to break a complete thought into more than one line.
Sherman Alexie’s Facebook sonnet illustrates the various ways in which the use of social media reduces face-to-face interaction and causes controversy. Although Alexie is a modern poet, and the poem is about a contemporary issue, he uses an old, rigid structure of Shakespearean sonnet because he wants to add fluidity to the poem. Supposing Sherman Alexie had written the poem in free verse, it would be a lack of flow, and its rhyme scheme would be disrupted, which would render it less fascinating to read. The old-fashioned form adds meaning to this poem in that it coerces the reader to read between the lines to find the meaning. Most fixed-form sonnets like this one put the most crucial line at the end of the poem. In this sonnet, the last line, “Here at the altar of loneliness” gives a summary of the poet’s attitude toward Facebook (Alexie, line 11). Thus, this old-fashioned style adds meaning to the poet’s antithesis message.
The poem’s outstanding imagery and metaphor is “the altar of loneliness” (Alexie, line11). In this line, from an outside viewpoint, Facebook users constantly log in and check daily trends and how their friends are faring. Indeed, social media use causes loneliness because it limits face-to-face interactions. Additionally, social media users compare themselves with others, which results in feelings of isolation and low self-esteem. Alexie is comparing Facebook to an altar of loneliness, where people enter and confess. The poet is emphasizing that humans are social animals, but the use of Facebook is solitary. Thus, those looking for a social connection there cannot find it but instead find loneliness. The only way to build a social relationship is not through Facebook, but actual physical interaction, which social media use hinders.
The wide use of technologies we observe nowadays increases the speed of diverse activities digitalisation. Innovative technologies are an integral part of peoples lives as they contribute to the enhanced performance and provide the needed level of comfort. At the same time, there is another side of the problem. Extreme levels of societys digitalisation deprive people of their personal space and privacy.
To a greater degree, it happens because of the mass use of social networks such as Facebook or Twitter that contain gigabytes of information users share with their friends or close people. On the other hand, they might prefer not to share these files with other individuals beyond their social circle. That is why such issues as cybersecurity, data theft, ethics, and privacy acquire the top priority as data social networks contain might be used by malefactors or other companies with diverse purposes. The given paper delves into the case of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, investigates peculiarities of this incident, and applies central concepts of data security, information share, risks, and ethics with the primary aim to attain the enhanced understanding of the problem.
Background
The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica case revolves around the collection of private information of Facebook users to impact their decision-making. The central issue of the given case is an unethical and inappropriate use of data to manipulate the public opinion and monitor oscillations in peoples moods and preferences to gather support regarding a particular issue, policy, or actor (Ingram, 2018).
Additionally, Facebook was blamed for supporting Cambridge Analytica in their actions and collection of personal information which started in 2014 (Ingram, 2018). The scandal triggered the growth of users dissatisfaction with the quality of services suggested to them and the lack of protection that resulted in the leak of information. In the course of numerous investigations, a significant scale of the problem was proven (Ingram, 2018).
The data leak and its further use could have impacted the results of Brexit and the Presidential elections in the USA (The Associated Press, 2018). The head of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, accepts the blame for this accident saying that the companys mistake was to believe that Cambridge Analytica deleted all information it had harvested (The Associated Press, 2018). The case has given rise to several significant concerns that should be discussed.
Cybercrime
First, the contradictory character of the case is evidenced by the fact that there are numerous debates whether a cybercrime has been committed or not. Representatives of both opinions provide their arguments to explain the nature of both actors actions and their conduct. However, analysing the case from the perspective of cybercrime and data theft, a definite answer can be obtained. The modern criminology defines a cybercrime as criminal wrongdoing (such as fraud, theft, intellectual property violations, distribution of prohibited materials) committed using electronic devices (Amoore & De Goede, 2005).
Apropos, Facebook – Cambridge Analytica case falls within this definition as the last one used electronic devices to interfere with the functioning of Facebook and collect data that is protected by the law regarding the right for privacy. Additionally, Cambridge Analytica performed these actions to assist particular actors and generate profit by offering information that can be used to gather support (The Associated Press, 2018). It proves that the cybercrime has been committed as there are both the motif and credible evidence of maleficent actions.
Data Theft
The concept of data theft mentioned above can also be used regarding the case. At the moment, there are numerous debates about its defying as the complexity of digital environment along with the existence of many approaches to perform illegal actions results in the lack of consistent current definition of the problem and its basic features (Wall, 2011). However, using the primary motifs for actions of this sort and their consequences, the following definition can be formulated.
Data theft is an illegal, malicious action performed to steal computer-based or digital information from an unknowing user with the intent of violating privacy or acquiring confidential information that will later be sold or utilised (Wall, 2011). In such a way, applying the concept to the suggested case, certain data theft can be noted. Facebook and Cambridge Analytica used the social network users data to share it with a third party and generate revenue. That is why the actions performed by both companies violate the existing legislation regarding the privacy of data, its storing, and distribution.
Nature of Cybercrime
The second concern related to the case is the nature of cybercrime performed by the actors. As it has been mentioned, there is a particular lack of theoretical base regarding illegal acts of this sort. For this reason, characterisation and determination of nature of cybercrime might be challenging. At the moment, researchers distinguish four subtypes which include cyber-trespass, cyber-deception and thefts, cyber-pornography, and cyber-violence (Wall, 2011).
Utilising this approach, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica case can be determined as a cyber-theft that presupposes privacy violations and other illegal actions aimed at the interference with users personal data (Wall, 2011). Numerous criminologists also tend to characterise the nature of cybercrime regarding the socio-structural features of the environment in which they occur and reasons that caused their emergence as these aspects directly impact offenders behaviours and their attitudes towards privacy (Yar, 2005). It means that the nature of the discussed crime can be explained by the existing high demand on pieces of data of this sort and their comparatively easily-accessible character.
Routine Activity Theory
Another meaningful concern raised by the case is the applicability of RAT and its practical utility in terms of cybercrime. The given conception (routine activity theory) presupposes the existence of a direct correlation between crimes and features of the existing environment (Yar, 2005). In other words, RAT investigates illegal actions as an ecological process that arises from the settings (Yar, 2005).
It means that such traditionally topical issues as poverty, inequality, or low incomes are not responsible for the growth of crime and appearance of new crime opportunities. Instead, social shifts, significant reconsiderations of particular processes, or introduction of new technologies contribute to the emergence of new possibilities and, subsequently, stipulate the occurrence of a crime wave (Yar, 2005).
For example, development of metropolises offers limitless opportunities for individuals personal and professional development; but it also creates conditions beneficial for the rise of crime such as overpopulation, high level of incomes, and the existence of social differences. Using RAT in their cogitations about cybercrime and the way it impacts the modern world, criminologists often emphasise the evolution of digital devices as the key factor triggering the development of cyberthreat (Yar, 2005). It proves the high practical utility of the method.
On the basis of RAT definition provided above, its application to the case seems relevant because of the nature of factors touched by the theory. The social context plays a critical role in the accidents assessment. The rapid development of technologies resulted in the increased importance of social networks such as Facebook and their essential role in the modern world. It is a platform used by people to share their perspectives on particular issues and discuss certain events with their friends providing personal information.
At the same time, the high degree of the digitalisation of the society stipulated the emergence of the demand on the utilisation of social media to shape the public opinion (Yar, 2005). In other words, one can observe a socio-cultural context beneficial for the appearance of crimes of this type. The presence of huge amounts of personal data in Facebook created the crime opportunity for Cambridge Analytica and Facebook to use them to satisfy the existing demand for this information and generate revenues. In such a way, the application of RAT to the given case contributes to the enhanced comprehension of the central motifs driving both companies.
Surveillant Assemblage
The next concern raised by the scandal and data leak from Facebook is a so-called surveillant assemblage. The given term is often associated with Orwells Big Brother as surveillant systems provide an opportunity to monitor peoples lives continually using personal data about their movements, preferences, attitudes (Haggerty & Ericson, 2000). The development of technologies contributed to the increased topicality of this issue as the introduction of new more powerful devices promoted the creation of perfect surveillance systems. At the same time, the cooperation between several actors, or an assemblage, guarantees even more comprehensive control (Haggerty & Ericson, 2000).
Specialists admit that the modern social media is an example of a potent surveillant assemblage system as it contains data about peoples location, occupation, social circle, and friends (Haggerty & Ericson, 2000). Possessing this critical information, Facebook, as one of the most popular social network, acquires an opportunity to sell it to other corporations and companies like Cambridge Analytica and create surveillant assemblages providing limitless possibilities to shape peoples mentalities.
Data Doubles
Moreover, working with numerous pieces of data characterising a person, this sort of systems introduces a new phenomenon of data doubles. Surveillant assemblage distracts human bodies from their territorial and local settings and separates them into a series of owns that are then reassembled in diverse locations as virtual data doubles (Haggerty & Ericson, 2000). Criminalists assume that the use of these approaches along with the apparently increasing power of Facebook as a surveillance tool cultivates a new environment characterised by the corrupted institution of privacy and specific hierarchies that should be followed (Haggerty & Ericson, 2000).
Another problem is that “data doubles circulate in a host of different centres of calculation and serve as markers for access to resources, services and power in ways which are often unknown to its referent” (Haggerty & Ericson, 2000, p. 613). Regarding the discussed case, it means that Facebook users data doubles were used without their consent or stolen to create a particular trend or impact certain processes. It evidences the existence of a surveillant assemblage if to speak about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.
Big Data
The discussed data leak also triggered vigorous debates about such issues as dataveillance and big data. The implementation of diverse digital devices and innovative solutions in the functioning of fundamental social institutions preconditioned the emergence of voluminous and complex data sets that traditional data-processing software becomes not able to process it (Amoore & De Goede, 2005).
These sets, or Big data, introduced new challenges related to storage, analysis, transfer, sharing, privacy and security (Amoore & De Goede, 2005). For instance, Facebook accepts that the personal information of 50 million Americans became available to companies and agencies that were not allowed to work with it (The Associated Press, 2018). In other words, the case proves the problematic character of Big data and security concerns related to it as due to the unfair and unethical actions, users information was utilised by companies with diverse purposes. It undermines cybersecurity and demonstrates the existence of numerous vulnerabilities related to the given question.
Dataveillance
The conception of dataveillance is closely related to Big data and information privacy. The fact is that voluminous information sets might pose a threat to the national security because of the high level of terrorist activity and cybercrimes (Amoore & De Goede, 2005). For this reason, the idea of dataveillance presupposes the monitoring and collecting, or proactive surveillance, of online data with the help of new technologies to identify risky groups and prevent their malicious actions. It includes the continuous analysis of communications, card transactions, emails, and social networks (Amoore & De Goede, 2005).
That is why dataveillance becomes topical for Facebook and its functioning. Being the platform that provides users with an opportunity to share personal information, it might be dangerous because of extremists groups that might use Facebook for organising acts of terror (Amoore & De Goede, 2005). At the same time, the use of dataveillance and unauthorised utilisation of personal data by third companies such as Cambridge Analytica triggers the emergence of privacy and security concerns because from the case it becomes apparent that individuals do not know that their information is used and do want to share it.
Ethics and Risks
Finally, the scandal reveals risk assessment and ethical problems related to the increased significance of social networks and their power in the coherent society. The problem is that their users create a crime opportunity by placing private data and sharing information. However, in accordance with RAT, the given context promotes the emergence of numerous threats to privacy and security concerns (Wall, 2011).
It is also apparent that Facebook and Cambridge Analyticas actions are unethical as they explored pieces of data without their owners consent. At the same time, regarding the tendency towards the further rise of social networks as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook similar data leaks will become inevitable which evidences the necessity of appropriate risk assessment procedures to determine the degree to which these platforms can be safe and evaluate the probability of fraud utilising diverse approaches or digital devices. It will contribute to the minimisation of such security failures, and help to solve some ethical issues as users will be informed about the existing risks and act more carefully.
Conclusion
Altogether, the case of Facebook-Cambridge Analytica perfectly demonstrates the increased power of social networks and touches upon the problem of data and privacy security. The fact is that networks transform into perfect surveillant systems that provide an opportunity to create data doubles and monitor users activity. This information can be sold to third parties interested in utilising it with diverse purposes. That is why the digitalisation of society also gives rise to security concerns that should be solved to protect peoples personal data and ensure that leaks as those described in the case will not occur.
References
Amoore, L., & De Goede, M. (2005). Governance, risk and dataveillance in the war on terror. Crime, Law & Social Change, 43, 149–173.
Wall, D. (2011). Policing cybercrimes: Situating the public police in networks of security within cyberspace. Police Practice & Research: An International Journal, 8(2), 183-205.
Yar, M. (2005). The novelty of ‘cybercrime’ an assessment in light of routine activity theory. European Journal of Criminology, 2(4), 407-427.
The Facebook, Inc. v. Banana Ads LLC, 2013 U.S. Dist. Lexis 65834 complaint contains trademark infringement, cybersquatting, and false designation of origin. Facebook representatives communicated with defendants in person; however, 14 were unreachable. The company requested permission from the district court to use an alternative process of service, email, to complete the work necessary for the case to proceed.
I – May Facebook select and send email notices to defendants’ websites as an alternative service of process?
R – Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 4.2 and 4.3 permit using the alternative process of service if it is reasonably calculated and reaching the defendants is in the interest of all parties. Providing that serving via email is not prohibited by international orders, and if individuals are not in the United States jurisdiction, Facebook may communicate via the selected method.
A – Unreachable defendants were foreign and domestic; the international regulations applicable to the former, and the federal law is in priority for the latter. The use of email was reasonably calculated because Facebook provided the court with confirmation of electronic address validity and proved the previous attempts to contact foreigners in person. Email service feasibility for domestic defendants was approved because they operate online; thus, reaching them via the Internet is more appropriate than traditional communication.
C – The court gave Facebook permission to use sending an email notice to the defendants as an alternative service of process. The verdict is reasonable because the company provided evidence of previous unsuccessful attempts to serve domestic and foreign individuals in person, via mail, and by telephone. Facebook operates globally, making international laws that do not prohibit email communication considerable in the given case.
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 TRUSTe’s policy writing guidelines to analyze the privacy policy of Facebook, Inc.
The organization’s policy deserves positive feedback in terms of readability and incorporates TRUSTe’s advice regarding consumer-friendly statements. Facebook’s 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 resource’s readability (Facebook, 2021). All of this makes the policy consistent with TRUSTe’s 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 website’s security precautions, and grievance redress mechanisms. Facebook’s (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 document’s 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 one’s 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).
Facebook’s 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, Facebook’s current privacy policy observes the majority of TRUSTe’s 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.
Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre (ESSRC) is a group that collaborates with industries, government institutions, and the community at large to research matters concerning the Earth’s environment and Climate change. Research groups constitute a significant and underrepresented segment in social media, while the most popular social media profiles in sciences are maintained by experienced communicators (Pavlov et al., 2018). Therefore, the research communities have to elaborate professional marketing strategies in order to gather public attention. The research center will benefit from Facebook due to the habit human being have for social networks, in particular the representatives of the young generation. Youngsters, especially ages twelve–twenty-nine, are fully immersed in the quickly changing social media world and have come to anticipate communication via these platforms (Bohon et al., 2013). The target age is young adults aged eighteen to thirty since these people have more knowledge of social media and are exposed digitally.
Main body
The goal is to increase the visibility of the research center to the public so that the interested persons can engage with the team. This is a crucial aim since it will make the center known to several people. In this case, the center will reach people who are interested in taking part in the research. Therefore, the objective will be to elaborate a Facebook account and get at least 300 followers who are passionate about the research topics. However, the number can be increased when more passionate people are noticed. When the Facebook account is created now, the next step is hiring professional people good in social media management. Adding hashtags and posting relevant articles can be a good approach to achieving the objective. This is due to the fact that people can easily notice what the center does and relate to it. Connecting to companies and organizations that do similar work is also a good idea. For example, National Geography can be combined or even followed. The scientific research center builds collaboration between external platforms and allows them to post and engage us by either tagging or commenting.
The other aspect of the aim is the process of encouraging young people, especially students, to be involved in current and future research. This can be possible by enabling them with a bonus on every research they do. Personal Facebook accounts can be created for each staff to give them space to do their research. Young people should also be encouraged to obtain first-hand information on the research they do. Getting information from the first person increases the credibility of the work. The strategy that can be used to achieve the goal is creating a group with similar research topics. The staff members who have accounts can link them with external platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, and other networks. The Facebook account can also be created with two contact details; the email address and the phone number. In addition, the staff can set new targets every week. For example, they can have a weekly plan to reach ten people each. If the registered people were one hundred, they get ten each, which is one thousand people every week. The staff can also choose to advertise on different platforms where they feel there are potential people.
The plan will increase public engagement with the research center since science and related works are carried out in the field of Information and Communication Technologies and active use of the Internet. Currently, starting with students and finishing with professors, scientific works and reports are drawn up with the direct use of auxiliary platforms and software. The digital transformation of the research society stimulates the need to create communication channels that can be integrated into Internet services. The plan will increase the involvement of ordinary people as the scientific association will become more transparent and accessible in the field of distance technologies. It should be considered with the aim of popularizing knowledge and improving communication skills. The implementation of the strategy can be carried out without the use of additional hiring and recruiting. The competent separation of roles and responsibilities and adequate delegation allow people to break large projects into small steps and components. As for this case, work with the social network Facebook, and the creation of accounts can be delegated to a specialist who is responsible for the logistics and technological base of the scientific center.
Summary
To summarize, Facebook is one of the most famous social media globally after Instagram and Twitter. Most companies have grown their client base through Facebook advertisements. To get a bigger audience on Facebook, it is good to post relevant articles that most people can resonate with. For example, ESSRC needs to post things related to research, specifically environmental. A good post engagement is what increases the number of followers on any social media page. To get good attention, you have to resonate with what people want to see. Getting like-minded people together is where the growth starts. The ultimate goal for ESSRC is to involve many people in educating, training, and advocating sustainable development and solutions for adverse environmental changes through social media. Therefore, this calls for a platform where ESSRC can engage communities locally and globally, which is Facebook. Facebook is the fastest-growing social media platform that involves billions of people across the world. Therefore, this makes it to be the most preferred for spreading news or information.
References
Bohon, W., Robinson, S., Arrowsmith, R., & Semken, S. (2013). Building an Effective Social Media Strategy for Science Programs. Eos Transactions American Geophysical Union, 94(27), 237-244. Web.
Pavlov, A. K., Meyer, A., Rosel, A., Cohen, L., King, J., Itkin, P., Negrel, J., Gerland, S., Hudson, S. R., Dodd, P. A., de Steur, L., Mathisen, S., Cobbing, N., & Granskog M. A. (2018). Does Your Lab Use Social Media?: Sharing Three Years of Experience in Science Communication. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 99(6), 1135-1146. Web.
Facebook, Inc. is a famous American conglomerate that currently owns WhatsApp, a popular messaging app, and Twitter, a simple tool to express one’s thoughts. At the moment, more than 190 million Americans are its registered users (Statista, 2021). Despite some advantages, these social networking services often violate their customers’ privacy, freedom of speech, and manipulation of gathered information; thus, they should be permanently banned.
The relatively fresh case of barring former president Trump on Facebook revived the ongoing debate regarding the company’s double standards. The politician was allegedly banned for safety reasons as he was accused of spurring violent movements across the country. However, Facebook and its other platforms have been failing to introduce even policy for a long time. For instance, the platform contributed to the encouragement of offline violence and modern cleansing in Myanmar (Stevenson, 2018). The same role Facebook played in Sri Lanka, where materials posted on the service for approximately ten years worked as propaganda and violence incentives (Brustein, 2020). Facebook lacks transparency and content monitoring; it also lacks a timely reaction to human rights violations in every country it is present, not only in the US.
Another problem is that Facebook servers contain too much personal information. People’s data potentially may be at most sold to national agencies which conduct unethical surveillance. Facebook was on the list of powerful institutions delivered by Snowden to journalists back in 2013 (Collins, 2019). It means that the American conglomerate had been a partner of the National Security Agency in the surveillance program. Tools that originally were used to protect personal data are currently used to control and manipulate people.
Some opponents would argue that it is not possible to live without social networking services. It helps to optimize human activity, connects people around the world, and fosters cooperation between nations. Facebook also opens opportunities and work options for journalists, marketers, and IT professionals. Nevertheless, in the same manner, it may be used to promote violence, racism, ignite hostility, and misuse personal information.
Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter should be permanently banned since Facebook, Inc. fails to maintain even policy worldwide to stop racism, violence and prevent human rights violations. It stores the unbelievable amount of personal information that apparently could be sold to anyone who pays money. It is not possible to reform and update such a giant; it is time to impose sanctions.
References
Brustein, J. (2020). Facebook apologizes for role in Sri Lankan violence. Bloomberg. Web.
The present study by Walker et al. (2015) was aimed at evaluating the correlation between the use of social media, such as Facebook, and disordered eating in college-aged young women. The researchers’ theory was that negative Facebook experience could affect the body image and provoke the development of eating disorders in young women. This report aims to present an extensive summary of the study, addressing elements such as scope and importance, researchers’ hypothesis, method, results, and discussion.
Importance
The authors outline that the main reason as to why the study of the effects of social media on eating disorders is important is the number of time adolescents and young adults spend on the Internet (Walker et al., 2015, p. 162). However, they do not fully discuss the possibility of using the results of their research to develop prevention or intervention strategies, which is one of the study’s drawbacks. There is a potential to use this type of research not just to increase the understanding of the issue, but also to support strategies for solving it, and the fact that the authors did not address that makes their explanation of the importance of the study and the topic quite limited.
Scope
Despite the fact that the researchers did not provide a crisp statement of purpose for this study, from the material provided, it is clear that their aim was to develop an understanding of the association between Facebook use and disordered eating. The scope of the study could be divided into three main areas. First, the authors decided to expand on the previous research by examining Facebook use intensity and its impact on disordered eating. Walker et al. (2015) note that the concept of Facebook intensity has not been studied in relation to eating disorders prevalence (p. 158). However, the authors do not provide a clear justification as to why Facebook intensity was a vital element to study. Secondly, the authors focused on the role of online physical appearance.
The authors clearly explain the justification for the interest in this factor based on previous studies, but also show why the exploration can turn out to be inconclusive, explaining that it would be difficult to distinguish whether the negative effect was driven by social comparisons or physical appearance comparisons (Walker et al., 2015, p. 158). The final area that Walker et al. (2015) decided to include in the scope of the study was the role of Facebook fat talk on disordered eating. They clarify the term: “Fat talk refers to negative talk about body size and shape while emphasizing a societal ideal toward thinness” (Walker et al., 2015, p. 158). The authors also state the increasing occurrence of fat talk on social media and refer to previous research to provide an explanation of the perceived effect of fat talk on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (Walker et al., 2015, p. 158). The researchers also summarize the previous explanations, thereby providing a distinctive sentence of scope for their study.
Hypotheses
The authors clearly identify their hypotheses along with the scope of research and use previous studies to support them. For instance, the authors explain why Facebook intensity could have an effect on young females’ disordered eating, referring to the proven effect of Facebook use on body image (Walker et al., 2015, p. 158).
They also use previous research to justify the relationship between online physical appearance comparison and body image concerns leading to disordered eating, as well as to explain the perceived effect of fat talk on disordered behaviors (Walker et al., 2015, p. 158). The previous studies used by the researchers are relatively recent and come from trustworthy sources, thus creating a solid basis for the authors’ hypotheses.
Method
Walker et al. (2015) recruited 169 participants from several universities via institution announcements and through social media websites, such as Twitter and Facebook). The participants were chosen on the basis of age (18-23), female gender (self-reported), enrollment in college, and the ownership of an active Facebook account. The participants were then required to complete an extensive web-based survey consisting of 185 questions. The questions included a 36-item eating disorder questionnaire, a Facebook intensity scale, an online physical appearance comparison scale, and an online fat talk scale. The participants were also required to enter their body mass index and complete depression and anxiety inventories, as well as other scales, to determine the presence of any covaries affecting the results of the study. The vast majority of the scales and questionnaires used by the authors were previously used and proved to be reliable. The survey data was then analyzed using SPSS Statistics software and further mediation analysis.
Results
The results of the study supported some of the authors’ hypotheses and contradicted others. For example, the authors found that in the absence of physical appearance comparison factor, the intensity of Facebook use had an adverse effect on the symptoms of eating disorders (Walker et al., 2015, p. 161). The study also proved that online physical appearance comparison had a positive association with disordered eating, while fat talk did not have a significant influence on disordered behavior. The findings of the study are presented in a clear and coherent manner.
Discussion
The researchers discuss the findings and the limitations of their study, but the discussion is not extensive. They show how the findings extend and contrast the existing research and explain the newly found role of Facebook intensity as a mediator of disordered behavior rather than the trigger of it: “College-aged women who endorsed greater Facebook intensity were significantly less likely to report disordered eating behaviors in the absence of physical appearance comparison” (Walker et al., 2015, p. 161). The researchers also explain why there is a clear difference between their results and the previous research, stating that this might be due to the different ways that the participants used Facebook, which is why the amount of time spent on the site is not a reliable predictor (Walker et al., 2015, p. 161). Walker et al. (2015) proceed to explain the limitations of their study. First, the study did not examine offline physical appearance comparison and fat talk, which could have influenced the results dramatically. Secondly, the data included in the research was self-reported, which created a possibility of the results being biased. Finally, the studied sample was quite small, which is why it is’hard to generalize the findings of the survey. The researchers indicated that further research of physical appearance comparison on other social media; however, further research should concentrate on the possible uses for the results in treating and preventing disordered eating.
References
Walker, M., Thornton, L., De Choudhury, M., Teevan, J., Bulik, C. M., Levinson, C. A., & Zervas, S. (2015). Facebook use and disordered eating in college-age women. Journal of Adolescent Health, 57(2), 157-163.
The appearance of social networking sites has changed the life of people and their relations. Nowadays, millions of users post their messages, pictures, videos, and music on Facebook. A new medium for communication has opened wide opportunities for building relationships with people all around the globe. The multimedia content of the site allows sharing thoughts and ideas in numerous creative ways. Users can communicate freely with other individuals and companies to find workers and employers.
Facebook plays an important role in the development of intimate relations. People tend to exchange messages on the site before calling on the mobile, or meeting in person. Nevertheless, the excessive use of Facebook can have a harmful effect on relationships between relatives and close friends. While people connect to their buddies on the site, they disconnect from their surroundings. Although Facebook is a powerful tool for building relationships with users all around the world, real-life communication with relatives and friends should be promoted because social networking sites can disconnect people from their surroundings.
Facebook in Business Relations
Social networking sites bring all people close together. Users from all over the world can communicate freely, share their thoughts, ideas, images, and videos. The appearance of Facebook has changed the traditional relations between employers and workers. Nowadays, people can connect to their superiors on the site and exchange messages with them in an informal way. When everybody is “friends”, the margins between social statuses and job titles are blurring.
Many employees feel more confident expressing their thoughts in writing. They have time to choose what they want to say, and they do not feel nervous facing their bosses. Facebook allows them to send messages at any given moment with a wide variety of multimedia content to support their ideas. The exchange of messages on the site is much more convenient than in email services and makes communication between workers and employees fast and efficient. The research by Scott et al. showed that “that language use had no impact on attractiveness, but users who used correct language were seen as more intelligent, competent, and employable” (562). Therefore, Facebook users with good command of English have higher chances to get hired.
Facebook gives individual entrepreneurs and big companies a variety of methods to build relationships with their customers. They can create official pages and communities to share all recent news about their products and communicate with consumers. The platform of the site allows posting detailed overviews of various items and services with the support of images, videos, and sound examples.
The abundance of available information and attention to customer feedback on Facebook support strong relationships between companies and consumers. Facebook allows defining certain trends in the relationships between organizations and individuals. According to McCorkindale, “more than half of Facebook’s 900 million active users in the U.S. consist of the Millennial generation (ages 13 to 29)” (66). They are more willing to cooperate with small companies and search primarily for benefits and discounts in their relations with organizations.
Facebook in Intimate Relations
The appearance of social networking sites has changed the nature of interpersonal relations. Nowadays all members of society use communication technologies extensively in the building of new relationships. Social networking sites, instant messaging services, and mobile phones have created a hierarchy of relations. Young people use all electronic means of communication on all stages of intimate relations. Research by Yang et al. “revealed a sequence of media use tied to stages of relationship development − from Facebook in early stages to instant messaging and then cell phones as a relationship progressed” (5). Therefore, Facebook plays an important role in the building of intimate relations between young people.
The variety of information posted on user pages allows learning many facts about a person even prior to the communication. People can choose their interlocutors from thousands of Facebook members using the facts from their profiles. In the meantime, social networking sites provide anonymity needed at the beginning of the relations. Some Facebook users disclose their real identities only after a certain period of online communication. They want to be sure about the people they are going to meet in person.
Facebook present a perfect opportunity to build relations with people abroad, learn about their cultures and traditions, and find common interests. Social networking sites create solid grounds for the development of international and intercultural relations. People who cannot meet each other every day in real life because of the distance between their countries are able to communicate on Facebook. The site allows them to know each other better before their meeting in person. Nevertheless, these capabilities of Facebook might have a harmful effect on the people’s relations with their relatives and friends in their common surroundings.
Facebook in Family Relations
The positive role of social networking sites in the relations between relatives is hard to ignore. People are able to send messages, voice recordings, and videos on Facebook to their parents, siblings, and spouses from any place around the globe when they are unable to meet them in person. Nevertheless, communication in social networking sites has its dangers. People spend a lot of time on Facebook, reading news, watching funny videos, and writing on timelines of other users. They find a multitude of friends from other countries with similar interests and exchange posts and motivators. Facebook provides team games for users to entertain themselves in their free time and long working hours.
People have so much fun on the site they often forget about their real life and relations. This is a growing issue, especially among young people. The excessive use of social networking sites harms the development of communicational skills. People get used to communicating by reposts, motivators, and pictures. They start to experience difficulties in speaking with their relatives and friends in person and return to Facebook. This situation can lead to a break in relations between parents and children. According to Steiner-Adair and Barker, “not only do chronic tech distractions have deep and lasting effects, but children desperately need parents to provide what tech cannot: close, significant interactions with the adults in their lives” (2). Therefore, social activists and authorities should promote real-life communication through various activities with relatives and friends to keep strong the relationships in the society.
Conclusion
Facebook plays a prominent role in the building of relationships in the modern society. Employers and workers can communicate freely and exchange their thought and ideas outside the margins of their job titles. Companies and individual entrepreneurs have numerous ways to build strong relations with their customers on social networking sites. Organizations can evaluate their employees analyzing their accounts on Facebook. Communication on social networking sites is an important stage of building intimate relations among young people. Users can write to their friends and relatives from any place in the world. Nevertheless, Facebook might disconnect people from their siblings and spouses.
Works Cited
McCorkindale, Tina, et al. “How Millennials Are Engaging and Building Relationships with Organizations on Facebook.” The Journal of Social Media in Society, vol. 2, no. 1, 2013, pp. 66-87.
Scott, Graham G., et al. “It’s not What You Say, It’s How You Say It: Language Use on Facebook Impacts Employability but not Attractiveness.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 17, no.8, 2014, pp. 562-566.
Steiner-Adair, Catherine, and Teresa H. Barker. The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. Harper Business, 2013.
Yang, Chia-chen, et al. “From Facebook to Cell Calls: Layers of Electronic Intimacy in College Students’ Interpersonal Relationships.” New Media & Society, vol. 16, no.1, 2014, pp. 5-23.
Interactive or online marketing is quickly gaining focus of most contemporary marketing strategies. Online marketing involve websites and other electronic commerce transactions potentials. The amount of sales is often the unit for measuring performance, thus the amount of transactions generated through online advertising determines the capability and effectiveness of this interactive form of medium (Plummer et al, p.33).
Analysis of the Internet Medium
According to (Wimmer and Dominick, p.33), the internet is a medium that is generating a lot of enthusiasm among most people especially the youth and it is equally advancing at a very high rate. Today people engage in an interactive form of advertisement for fun as well as business growth.
Leisure is a strong advantage to the advertisers since they are able to easily find and capture attention of those who are better off financially and have the will to spend. The internet mainly captures attention of the young and middle-aged potential clients, who are dynamic and thus open-minded to capture any new ideas available from the virtual world.
There is a significant increase on the number of people using the internet at the workplace and home setting in the Middle East. According to Wimmer and Dominick (p.33), more than 70% of people in Saudi Arabia have access to the internet at the comfort of their homes and are thus potential clients.
Most of the common products for online trade include books, computers, software, computer accessories, gifts, food products and cars. The products are often not available for consumers within the local markets. The online purchasing provides ease of purchase, convenience, facility to compare product lines, ability to compare prices and easy way of paying (Wimmer and Dominick, p.34).
Advantages of Online Marketing
Internet also offers remarkable possibilities for any form of marketing thus the ease of participation in interactive marketing. Most firms prefer such form of networked marketing, since there are high rates for diversification. There are various benefits of online marketing for both the customer and marketer.
Marketers are able to adjust quickly to the market conditions, are able to build relationship and the procedures are at lowest cost possible. Some of the benefits to the customer include convenience, ability to gain extensive information and little engagement means few or no strain associable to need for persuasion during trade.
Analysis of Saudi Arabia
Among the Middle East countries, Saudi Arabia has one of the most important markets due to diversification of the market niche and profitable opportunities for marketing both internationally and locally. Some of the major significant aspects of the market include elevated purchasing powers, both locally and internationally because the country owns more than quarter of global oil reserves (Cooper et al, p.104).
This causes the country to experience high consumer demands for oil and other related products including automobiles. The population is also sizable and grows at a high rate. It also has a fast-growing and reliable economy due to dependence on the product imports. However, various factors such as economic instability of oil prices cause the current market trends to normalize especially for the subsidiary products such as automobiles.
The advertisement trends have changed from seller to buyer markets, thus the needs for strategising to the current and future advertising trends (Cooper et al, p.104).
Advantages of Facebook Advertisement
Advertising is crucial in the efforts to get in touch with customers especially those with right enhancement or are on form with latest technological advancements. Face-to-face advertisement is very efficient in Saudi Arabia since it is a concrete reference measure. Facebook has become the current modernized word of mouth.
Most people buy something good and share the experience with their friends and family. The friendly advises on either the good and bad aspects of a product assist in protecting each other from unfavourable products. The aim of informing each other within the social forum helps the business to grow. It is equally a fast way of marketing a new and reliable product since people recommend them during normal conversation or while building rapport.
The benefits of e-marketing strategies are wide but having a facebook page for car dealership advertisement is an excellent strategy for a Saudi Arabian firm. The possibility of gaining unsavoury reputation is easy due to the unidentified promotion strategies but aiming to achieve business growth ought to be the main drive (Gill, p.6).
Beside the fun of enhancing facebook pages, one of the many benefits for the company would be to garner for page popularity. The pages must attract attention in relation to the subject matter, in this case, marketing of cars. The pages enable the marketer to customize information and capture the attention of specific category of audience. The marketer is also able to divert from the common advertisement strategies and build relationship with potential clients or give extra information to market the company as a whole.
When the readers know more about the company, they gunner confidence, trust and embrace the opportunity to know more about the cars. Clients are thus attracted to the site every time they are online because they confidently enjoy any new posting of new models.
Secondly, the company benefits from the ability to form a forum of friends, the use of facebook pages by Saudi Arabia car Dealership Company means that, they are also able to add new friends to the social site. Attractive car marketing article and new information is an attractive feature for most people conversant with internet technology, thus the company is able to capture more and add potential clients as friends.
The ability to provide clients with links to more information about the company and more cars is equally an advantage of using the social pages. Persuasive and encouraging marketing strategies are additional and easy strategies to utilize in social sites or pages.
The ability to avail the latest information about the company bolsters the list of amazing friends who will equally act as marketing entities for this style of social marketing strategy (O’Guinn et al, p.18).
Social Network Populace
By having facebook page for the Saudi Arabia Car dealership, the number of people or potential clients grows enormously. Currently, facebook is the favourite social networking forum thus the best preference for marketers over other social sites like MySpace. The procedure of using facebook pages to market cars has to take the natural style of social sites, which is to reveal the business through building relationships.
Today facebook has over 200 million global users, thus the reason why is an appealing market niche (Wegert, p.3). Already thousands of marketers in different fields use facebook pages for their marketing reasons, but majority of them are amateurish Junk-mails distributors.
Conclusion
As good marketer aims to use the facebook pages, the Saudi Arabian car dealership company should focus attention of the audience into their profiles. This step assists potential clients to learn and relate to the firm. People interested in social sites have interest in finding background information of the company beside the products.
There is equally a need to search for categories or marketing groups or environments that portray interest to cars. Social sites also provide group of people in similar field of interest where it is easy to share knowledge and new content regarding latest models of the available automobiles. It is also possible to share content among friends who may be potential clients.
These strategies assist in reaching almost the entire network of millions of subscribers within the shortest time possible.
Works Cited
Cooper, Scott. Grutzner, Fritz and Cooper Birk. “Tips and Traps for Marketing Your Business.” New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Inc. 2008.
Gill, Baltej. “Facebook Strategies for Business: Learning how to monetize the faster growing social sites.” We Simplify the Internet, (WSI). 2010. Web.
Plummer, Joe. Rappaport, Steve. And Hall, Teddy. “The online advertising playbook: proven strategies and tested tactics from the advertising research foundation.” New Jersey, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2007.
O’Guinn, Thomas., Allen, Chris. And Semenik, Richard. “Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion.” Ohio, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning publishers. 2008.
Wegert, Tessa. “Customized Ad Content Sounds Great.” ClickZ.com. 2009. Web.
Wimmer, Roger. And Dominick, Joseph. “Mass media research: an introduction.” Cengage Learning, 2005.