Uses and GratificationThis article discussed a lot of concepts that many people who use SNS know about, but many times are over looked. The article states that the primary use of SNS is keeping in touch with friends and family. This is true in many cases and in my use of SNS personally. Another use of SNS that people overlook frequently is people use SNS to gain information about other people. Its funny how little people realize that what they post can be seen on everyone’s newsfeed on Facebook. Without even trying, I am able to see the breakfast someone had and that they are feeling pissed off that day. Then when you approach and mention something about their life, they act as if you have cyber stalked them. It’s a ridiculous phenomenon that happens all the time.
The article discusses many other social gratifications that can be found through MySpace’s top 8, amount of comments or likes, and the over all responses to their profile. All in all, SNS is a great tool for communication and information as long as it’s used responsibly.
-Jossshhuaa!
Used responsibly is the key. Last semester I wrote a paper on privacy issues and Facebook, and it showed my wife's best friend a thing or two. We all (their fam of 4 and mine) to Tahoe and before leaving she says on Fb about some invite to a cancer walk "can't go, we'll be in Tahoe all weekend. Thoughts and prayers, Kim." Problem was, her real name is attached to her Fb account where it says that, and on Spokeo.com, for as little as $5 a month, you can type in a person's name and get tons of info on them including their home value, directions to and even a pic of their front door! Needless to say, when she got home she was super glad she hadn't gotten robbed and watches what she says on Fb now. Responsibility for sure...ttys, Sharxjay.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I found this blog entry quite funny! I agree with you that some people think you are a stalker if you just casually mention what you saw on the newsfeed. I think it is really silly how people try to play it off too when everything is put on blast on facebook! In a way, it's kind of hard to hide everything you do on facebook because newsfeed get publish whenever you are playing games, commented a note, commented a picture, which event(s) you will be attending, etc. I like to not do much on facebook unless I absolutely have to just because I know college students nowadays are VERY judgmental in what you say or post on facebook because they think that is your real identity.
ReplyDeleteSNS is certainly useful for connecting with family and friends. With school, work, and distance, we can sometimes lose touch with people. Small posts on SNS like pictures or status updates give our family and friends news about what we are doing. I know that Facebook has made it really easy for me to see what my family is up to in another country. I totally agree with you that SNS can be used to gain information about other people. Facebook makes it really easy for everyone to know what you are doing. Something as simple as “liking” a television show lets everyone know what new show you are in to. I think that sometimes we reveal more information than we realize.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everything this article states about social gratifications. I can see how top eights and things of that nature are instantly gratifying. I know I feel social gratification from many uses of Facebook. for example people liking my statuses or pictures. It makes you feel liked by your peers. On the other hand this can also make people based to much of their self worth on these things on SNS and the results can be bad. I know some people that have bad days simply due to the fact that no one commented on their status update, which I find to be borderline disturbing. Social gratifications definitely come with SNS and sometimes the results can have a negative impact on someones life rather then positive and that is something to really think about.
ReplyDeleteInternet stalker is a word I am hearing a lot more these days. And now that I just got a Google+ invite it is only natural to expect it to be thrown around a lot more. Really though, when a person shares any detail about their life online how unlikely is it that a person is going to bring it up the next time they meet? I like to think of it as a pre-emptive conversation starter since it is clear that this is whats on their mind. Still, there is a line to be drawn and with the amount of information about people being shared on a daily basis, it is getting harder to tell just how much a person is comfortable about how much you know about them. Of course, however much you actually talk to them in person is factor as well.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree when you say that facebook is a good communication tool as long as it is used the right way. I always hear from my younger cousins about “facebook drama” and things of that sort. My little cousin was upset because her friend blocked her from commenting on her wall. After an enraged phone call she found out that her friend had accidentally changed her private settings. Really? Is it that serious!?
I personally use the site for keeping in touch with people and posting pictures of what reflects my life. Other than for this class, I do not accept anyone I do not know so that I may avoid any complications.
I know what you mean by “facebook stalking”. I hear it ALL the time. Umm are people not aware that the site is designed so that update statuses appear on news feed for everyone who is your friend of FB to see? What do they expect! :)
Hi, I agree with you that people are not aware of how much information they are putting up about themselves daily. People tend to make very personal statuses where they are expressing their feelings very clearly and then once you ask if everything is alright they turn their faces like you are a stalker. My old teammate who graduated last year and is now living in India tend to post very personal statuses about how depressed or sad she is and everyone on my team including my coach is friends with her and my coach is always worried that something is not right with her. People are not really aware of different generations sometimes reflect differently on things that are being posted and the conversation their posts create. Facebook and other sites have can be very dangerous or helpful depending on what message you want to send out to all your friends. News Feed catches everything that you post and it can cause a lot of problems sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHello Joshua!
ReplyDeleteGreat post this week! I definitely understand the 'stalker' aspect of SNS, and how little privacy we have if we use our SNS incorrectly! I, along with a good number of people, am friends with my boss on Facebook, therefore I do not have the luxury of complaining about issues at the workplace over that venue! On the other side of the coin, I am part of the management at my job, and there have been a few employees who have facebook friended me, and I have seen them call out of work because they are "sick," and then later see them update that they're out partying. This relays back to your point of people not being fully aware of what they are putting out into the virtual world, because once it has been posted, even if you delete the post, someone knows that you said it. All in all, great post this week!
-Taylor