A Different Kind of Highschool
November 23, 2009
Please vote for my short film that I made!
http://adifferentkindofhighschool.jandjfilms.com/
Go to my notes for more details on the contest.
Perspectives: Facebook
October 17, 2009
I’m starting a series for whenever I don’t have anything to post on. It is called “Perspectives.” One objective is to talk about whether a popular website is OK to visit and use, or if it best to stay away from.
Today I’m talking about Facebook.
According to several websites, including the highly trusted and influential Wikipedia (note sarcasm), Facebook is rated one of the ten top websites in the world, and definitely the most popular social networking website around.
Facebook, in my opinion, has gotten a bad rap. Initially, I thought it was a horrible thing, then my pastors got accounts and I thought, “Well then, how bad can it be?”
I convinced my Dad and Mom to let me get an account. I truthfully don’t think it is very bad site when used appropriately. It is definitely addictive and very easy to be on Facebook all the time (or at least it is easy to get caught up in it).
I have found that there is sometimes confusion on how to use the site (who sees what posts, etc.). My parents are always asking “who sees that?” or “does everyone see that?” I even had someone say that I posted something on their family member’s Facebook site (it is not possible to do that, you can only comment on existing posts).
A concern that some people have is the content including posting inappropriate images and material (pornography, etc.). I understand that there are strict rules against these kinds of things.
Now, just because these items are not permitted on Facebook (this is enforced), there still can be inappropriate photos and material. These items are allowed, as long as they are not too explicit or graphic.
Now, this is where some of the confusion comes in. One of the features that I like about this site is that you can choose your circle of friends. This prevents much of the bad stuff from appearing on your Facebook profile unless it is posted by a friend. Explicit language on the other hand, is something that you will occasionally run into, depending on who your friends are. A great feature is that if you are disturbed by some people’s postings, just remove them as friends.
Something that Facebook lends itself to is flirting and gossip (as well as slander). These are easy areas to fall into. As Christians, we want to be careful to guard ourselves on how we are relating on line including the words that we use and the things that we share. How we relate to each other with our words and actions applies all the time not just when we talk on Facebook. It is just much easier to drop our guard on Facebook because it is a convenient and fast way just to share our thoughts.
One of the bigger problems is that there can be a lack of parental supervision. I know this is something that my parents are concerned about. One way to overcome this aspect of Facebook and this area in general is by being open and forthcoming with our folks. This means not making them ask 1000 questions, but sharing openly what is on our hearts.
If you have any questions about Facebook, leave a comment below or talk to your parents. I don’t think that it is bad to at least look into Facebook. Make sure your parents are involved though. As I said before, it is very easy to get sucked into Facebook and very hard to get out of it.