2008 Woodie Awards
The tools are not at fault, take responsibility
It is time to realize Facebook itself is not the problem
Kevin Brett
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Editorial
The Review hates Facebook.
Seem like an outlandish statement? Not if you happened to read the Oct. 15 issue of the university's student newspaper. There were three articles focused on the popular Web site, - two of which outright vilified the site while the other highlighted its usefulness as a gossip forum and a way to keep tabs on significant others.
All three contributed to effectively reducing the social utility to nothing more than a "stalk-machine." Such a viewpoint is not only wrong, but downright slanderous.
Facebook does not stalk people. People stalk people.
Let's put it in perspective. Facebook is a tool - no more, no less. Tools can be used in numerous ways.
Take a hammer, for instance. A hammer can be used to nail together pieces of wood, or it can be used to nail people on the head. If you find yourself using a hammer to nail people on the head, does that make the hammer the problem?
No, the problem is you.
On the other hand, maybe you are not going around nailing people in the head, but you are worried that somebody else is going to hammer your head. Does that mean we should all sacrifice our ability to build things and campaign against hammers so no one's head can be hammered? That does not make sense.
I would rather keep my hammer so I could build things, while surrounding myself with trusted friends who would not hammer me on the head.
Granted, the hammer analogy is a tad abstract, so let's get more specific.
There are certain aspects of Facebook which may seem intrusive and unnecessary, but they are not permanent fixtures to the Facebook format. Everything can be adjusted to fit personal privacy preferences.
So what is all the complaining about?
People cannot stalk you if they cannot see your information. Also, if you are friend requesting people who are not actually your friends, whose fault is that?
People love to complain Facebook is a waste of time, that it is conducive to hours upon hours of pointless sifting through profiles and pictures. Look at the previous sentence, and replace the word "Facebook" with "television", and the words "profiles" and "pictures" with "channels" and "programs".
Whose fault is it if you sit around all day and do nothing but watch TV? Is it the TV's fault? No, it is your fault. The same goes for Facebook.
Take responsibility for your actions.
Then we have the, "My-facebook-profile-does-not-accurately-represent-who-I-am" argument.
Do your clothes accurately represent who you are? Does your car? What about the posters in your room? Does your resume, your major or your GPA fully and accurately represent who you are?
These things may partially represent you, but it would be utterly impossible to find something which completely defines you.
Why should Facebook be any different?
Just like everything else, Facebook is an opportunity to display yourself in a favorable way, but it is up to you to take advantage of it. If you have a problem with the fact that your parents, professors and future employers are going to evaluate your Facebook persona, then consider for a second that maybe the problem is not Facebook, but in the way you are presenting yourself.
If you portray yourself in a responsible, tasteful way, employers may be even more impressed with you.
You choose what you broadcast. If you put stupid and immature things in your profile, you are going to look stupid and immature. It is not rocket science - welcome to the real world.
The excuse that makes me laugh most is "I quit Facebook because my friends were only communicating with me through Facebook." To be honest, I feel sorry for these people.
If your friends think they can sufficiently sustain your relationship through Facebook without any personal interaction, chances are that they are either not very good friends, or very shallow individuals. In either case, I wish you the best of luck.
The reality is Facebook can be a very useful tool when used properly. The Facebook format makes it easier to manage relationships with larger groups of people than ever before, which is why it has achieved mainstream status. It is a communication tool. Use it appropriately and it could prove to be very beneficial.
It is just like the hammer.
If you don't want to own a hammer, then do not. Just know that you won't be able to build things.
If you do not want to use Facebook, then do not. Just be aware that you might have a more difficult time communicating with a broad network of people.
Kevin Brett is a senior at the university. His viewpoints do not necessarily represent those of the Review staff. Please send comments to kevbrett@udel.edu.
Seem like an outlandish statement? Not if you happened to read the Oct. 15 issue of the university's student newspaper. There were three articles focused on the popular Web site, - two of which outright vilified the site while the other highlighted its usefulness as a gossip forum and a way to keep tabs on significant others.
All three contributed to effectively reducing the social utility to nothing more than a "stalk-machine." Such a viewpoint is not only wrong, but downright slanderous.
Facebook does not stalk people. People stalk people.
Let's put it in perspective. Facebook is a tool - no more, no less. Tools can be used in numerous ways.
Take a hammer, for instance. A hammer can be used to nail together pieces of wood, or it can be used to nail people on the head. If you find yourself using a hammer to nail people on the head, does that make the hammer the problem?
No, the problem is you.
On the other hand, maybe you are not going around nailing people in the head, but you are worried that somebody else is going to hammer your head. Does that mean we should all sacrifice our ability to build things and campaign against hammers so no one's head can be hammered? That does not make sense.
I would rather keep my hammer so I could build things, while surrounding myself with trusted friends who would not hammer me on the head.
Granted, the hammer analogy is a tad abstract, so let's get more specific.
There are certain aspects of Facebook which may seem intrusive and unnecessary, but they are not permanent fixtures to the Facebook format. Everything can be adjusted to fit personal privacy preferences.
So what is all the complaining about?
People cannot stalk you if they cannot see your information. Also, if you are friend requesting people who are not actually your friends, whose fault is that?
People love to complain Facebook is a waste of time, that it is conducive to hours upon hours of pointless sifting through profiles and pictures. Look at the previous sentence, and replace the word "Facebook" with "television", and the words "profiles" and "pictures" with "channels" and "programs".
Whose fault is it if you sit around all day and do nothing but watch TV? Is it the TV's fault? No, it is your fault. The same goes for Facebook.
Take responsibility for your actions.
Then we have the, "My-facebook-profile-does-not-accurately-represent-who-I-am" argument.
Do your clothes accurately represent who you are? Does your car? What about the posters in your room? Does your resume, your major or your GPA fully and accurately represent who you are?
These things may partially represent you, but it would be utterly impossible to find something which completely defines you.
Why should Facebook be any different?
Just like everything else, Facebook is an opportunity to display yourself in a favorable way, but it is up to you to take advantage of it. If you have a problem with the fact that your parents, professors and future employers are going to evaluate your Facebook persona, then consider for a second that maybe the problem is not Facebook, but in the way you are presenting yourself.
If you portray yourself in a responsible, tasteful way, employers may be even more impressed with you.
You choose what you broadcast. If you put stupid and immature things in your profile, you are going to look stupid and immature. It is not rocket science - welcome to the real world.
The excuse that makes me laugh most is "I quit Facebook because my friends were only communicating with me through Facebook." To be honest, I feel sorry for these people.
If your friends think they can sufficiently sustain your relationship through Facebook without any personal interaction, chances are that they are either not very good friends, or very shallow individuals. In either case, I wish you the best of luck.
The reality is Facebook can be a very useful tool when used properly. The Facebook format makes it easier to manage relationships with larger groups of people than ever before, which is why it has achieved mainstream status. It is a communication tool. Use it appropriately and it could prove to be very beneficial.
It is just like the hammer.
If you don't want to own a hammer, then do not. Just know that you won't be able to build things.
If you do not want to use Facebook, then do not. Just be aware that you might have a more difficult time communicating with a broad network of people.
Kevin Brett is a senior at the university. His viewpoints do not necessarily represent those of the Review staff. Please send comments to kevbrett@udel.edu.
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