CA2 RJ1

Name: Sandy Lai Yue Lin
Class: DMC/FT/2B/04
Admin No.: P0940153

Question 1: What do you think are the two most influential factors that have contributed to Facebook's success today? Reflect on the impact (both positive and negative) that Facebook or any other social networking tool has on your daily life in relation to these two factors. For each factor, provide at least one appropriate example to support your answer. (10 marks)

One of the two most influential factors that lead to the rising of Facebook is privacy. This immediately brings to mind the various settings available on the popular social networking site, which first came under fire after a privacy breach exposed live chats and pending friend requests on the platform in 2009. In an era where the World Wide Web is omnipresent and information is readily accessible even at polar ends of the globe, users of social networking sites and other online platforms in general should adopt a proactive stance regarding their online privacy.  There is no foolproof method of predicting how other parties are planning to put your personal information to use, much less guarantee it will be to your benefit.

It spurred me to give a double take on my privacy settings as I was curious as to what were the default settings of Facebook. This was coming from someone who had never accessed her privacy settings page prior to the 2009 backlash. It was not a pleasant surprise. My private life had suddenly become not-so-private. Notably, everyone was able to view my status, photos, posts, biography, favourite quotes, family and relationships. This covered the main areas in which I update my profile. Recoiling from the shock, I immediately made customisations to my privacy settings. It is now at a level where I deem fit. The whole experience has made me become more aware of the importance of adequate privacy settings, which is now ranked as my top few concerns when signing up with a social networking site.

However, whilst some concerns have been raised over Facebook’s privacy settings, it should be noted that initially, content published or shared on a person’s profile is only limited to the individual’s wall of networks. The fact that users were able to create their profiles for their audience and their audience only created trust in the site. This incentivized users to create customised profiles for each other, rather than the World at large, and is the key point which made Facebook viral. Currently, users are presented with the option of limiting their published contents to certain groups of their audience which may or may not be within their wall of networks.

Knowing who my audience are affects the type of content published on my profile. I make conscious effort to keep my contents ‘clean’ because my relatives and family have access to my profile. I have also chosen to restrict their access to photos I published or am tagged in. This gives them a slightly different perspective when viewing my profile as compared to my other audiences such as secondary and polytechnic friends who are not restricted in this area.

The second factor that contributed the most to the rise of Facebook is its speed. Users of social networking sites want a network that they can move around frequently and rapidly. We want to stumble on the overflowing amount of news that pours in by the second. Fast responses enable this highly interactive and exciting process. Facebook has consistently maintained its stance in this area, imprinting an extremely positive impression on its users.

Speed was also one of the deciding factors that persuaded me to make the shift from Friendster to Facebook. I want to be in the know of the latest happenings and be able to publish an immediate response such that others will be able to view as soon as I click comment. Facebook’s news feed satisfies my need for information by the second, unlike Friendster’s updates which come through by the hour or part thereof.

However, instant publication also means that it is harder to retract the content published, for it may have already been viewed by another party. Damage is done once the content is published, albeit reducing damage inflicted if retracted early.

It encourages me to think twice before posting content on my Facebook. I would ponder on the possible types of reactions my audiences will have on the subject and whether it is something that should be posted. More often than not, I find myself deleting status updates which discuss my feelings on sensitive subjects which involve the people around me.

Question 2: The movie focuses a lot on ethical issues and responsible use of social networking tools. Briefly describe any one example of unethical/ irresponsible use of Facebook in the movie and discuss your views on it. Provide one example of how you can engage an online community ethically on any one social networking tool of your choice. (10 marks)

In the movie, Mark Zuckerberg assumed an alternate alias and created a Facebook page on which he uploaded the photos of four paintings which he was required to write an essay for his finals on post war contemporary art. He would hop onto the page every once in awhile to “stir the pot to get the debate going”. This suggests that Mark Zuckerberg was cheating and had obtained help from other unauthorised sources to complete his assignment.

While cheating is viewed as unethical, the adopting of an alternate alias can be classified under the same category as well. It is possible to assume a persona that does not conform to the individual’s real identity as long as a valid e-mail address is keyed into the system when creating an account. This makes it difficult to validate the authenticity of the profile and its user, making me question the reliability of the contents published. Also cases of mistaken identity may arise if there are two identical, if not similar profiles co-exist.

However, I acknowledge the fact that Facebook has drawn up measures to crack down on such fake profiles. One angle of approach is through reporting. This entails a report being submitted, with Facebook reviewing the report and taking appropriate action warranted in their Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. It is also possible to take action against a photo, inbox message, group, event and page.

One way to ethically engage an online community is through the publishing of factual contents on social networking sites such as the widely popular Facebook. For example, the description of Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Media & Communication Facebook page should not include puffery or claims that might lead their target audiences to believe and assume that which is false or exaggerated.