General

What is it about?

Facebook is a popular social networking site. Users connect with people of their choosing, who they can then communicate with through the platform and who can then see various aspects of what they post. Users can also play games, watch videos, decorate their page, post and tag photos,

share favorite product information, "like" their

favorite celebrities and social causes, and more.

There are options to set privacy settings,

 but they are difficult to find and tricky to set.

What kids can learn

Kids 13 and older can learn how to communicate with each other online, keep in touch with friends, and express themselves. Teens can also learn basic information about nonprofit organizations and businesses since many of them have pages. Another plus: Facebook can help teens understand social networking -- a skill that will put them in good stead for the future.

 

 

What parents need to know

 

Parents need to know that teens must be diligent about setting privacy controls on Facebook. Every time Facebook updates its features, users must check settings to confirm what information they're sharing and what they're keeping private. New apps -- which allow users to share without having to take action.

FACEBOOK offers registered users a fun way to keep in almost constant contact with friends, family, and acquaintances -- and every update adds another reason for heavy users to make Facebook an essential part of their lives. Privacy experts warn about the dangers of over-sharing and how it can affect teen's reputation.

Fortunately, other changes also include additional privacy options. For example, you can opt to approve photo and other tags before they're posted to your timeline and control who sees past posts if you adjust your privacy settings accordingly. You can also opt to hide types of activity -- such as people you friend -- and remove photos from your timeline. However, making your profile less public may require you to adjust several default settings.

It's important to note that users aren't required to use these types of apps, but if they choose to, they're agreeing to give up some aspects of their privacy -- not just to their friends, subscribers, or the public, but also to advertisers.

Facebook continually goes through changes regarding what is and isn't viewable. The site can be a great way to keep in touch -- just as long as teens understand what information they're giving up, make good decisions about what to post, and use privacy settings to reduce the likelihood of sharing too much with too many.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Facebook

Well as we all know there are always pros and cons. In this blog post I am going to share with you the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook. Many internet users have shared that Facebook is one the most useful platform for social media interaction.

Personally I think that I would be able to list more advantages compared to disadvantages. I feel that Facebook is very useful in our daily life nowadays. For example sometimes I would tend to forget some school assignments and my classmates would post an information to remind me and my classmates. I have a Facebook account and I do not post much information about myself except for my name and birthday. Importantly I do not use the check-in function which I think is very unsafe. I have heard of an incident that a facebook user who was very fond of using the check-in function used it while he was overseas and resulted in his house getting robbed.

Not only in the use of Facebook but when we are using any form of social media sites we must always learn how to use the functions correctly and be able to take care of our privacy.

Here are some Advantages and Disadvantages of Facebook that I have found online:

Advantages

• Facebook is free and is a best way for communication.

• With Facebook you can connect to anyone from anywhere in the world many people are using Facebook nowadays

• Facebook is best for finding Old friends. Sometimes we tend to lose our contacts and now with the aid of Facebook we can keep in touch more easily.

• We can share our feelings on what happened on a specific day which probably impact our lives. We can also get feedback or advice from our friends.

•  Facebook has good privacy setting which makes users feel more comfortable when they are sharing certain information.
• The chatting feature allows users to connect with their close ones more freely.

  

• Students can use Facebook for educational use by creating a group only for studying. There you can share any information about your projects , home work , assignments, due date etc.

• We can also use facebook as social bookmarking site. We can share our article, blogs , photo's etc to thousands of people. Or we can even post advertisements as a form of business.

•  Facebook login ID also allows you to access other websites easily and you can save time on registering for the site.

  

•  Spamming is not a problem as such Facebook users can be blocked.

Disadvantages

• Facebook is Addicting. Yes it is indeed addicting which often kills your valuable time. Addiction can affect students badly in their studies.

• Fake profile and ID. Now it has become easier to create fake profile. People often uses fake profile to insults or harassing someone. This is very common among teenagers where they have issues on another person and use social media to serve their purpose.

• There are plenty of groups and Fan pages out there which is being created to abuse or violate other religion , personalities , nation etc. This is truly a bad way of using plagarism.

•  People who works in offices wastes their time in browsing Facebook. This would result in a loss of business and also unhappiness among colleagues

• From different newses it is found that sometimes Facebook can be life threatening. There are issues of teenagers committing suicide because of problems on Facebook.

• News also found that one mother killed here child because it was crying in hunger while she was browsing Facebook. This can be associated to addiction.

Privacy Issues

'Consumer Reports: Facebook privacy problems are on the rise'

Recently I read an online journal article titled 'Consumer Reports: Facebook privacy problems are on the rise' and this article states that in its annual report Facebook was placed in the front and centre due to data leaks, hacks, scams, and the like. While featuring a separate report focusing entirely on Facebook and how the social network deals with privacy, security and the very personal information.

Facebook's privacy standards have been dropping linearly recently. In the article it was also stated that there was an overall increase in certain digital problems — such as ID thefts, phishing schemes, and security breaches. Users are also not very happy with the fact that their personal infromation may be disclosed through hacking.

 

Below are some problems Consumer Reports noted:

1) Some don't use privacy controls. Almost 13 million users said they had never set, or didn’t know about, Facebook’s privacy tools. And 28 percent shared all, or almost all, of their wall posts with an audience wider than just their friends.

2)Facebook collects more data than you may imagine. For example, did you know that Facebook gets a report every time you visit a site with a Facebook “Like” button, even if you never click the button, are not a Facebook user, or are not logged in.

3)Your data is shared more widely than you may wish. Even if you have restricted your information to be seen by friends only, a friend who is using a Facebook app could allow your data to be transferred to a third party without your knowledge. This involves a major privacy issue.

4)Problems are on the rise. Eleven percent of households using Facebook said they had trouble last year, ranging from someone using their log-in without permission to being harassed or threatened.

Personally I think that the main reason of the unhappiness behind so many people related to Facebook is clearly because users tend to share too much of their personal information online. Another thing is that users tend to be too dependant on such social media websites. I think that using social media websites as a communication tool is good but it is not necessary to share our personal information .

Users can also do more to protect their privacy and security on Facebook, Consumer Reports noted, and offered the following tips:

1)Think before you type. Even if you delete an account (which takesFacebook about a month), some info can remain in Facebook’s computers for up to 90 days.

2)Regularly check your exposure. Each month, check out how your page looks to others.

3)Review individual privacy settings if necessary. Protect basic information. Set the audience for profile items, such as your town or employer. And remember: Sharing info with “friends of friends” could expose it to tens of thousands.

4)Know what you can’t protect. Your name and profile picture are public. To protect your identity, don’t use a photo or use one that doesn’t show your face.

5)Do not publicise your wall. Set the audience for all previous wall posts to just friends.

6)Turn off Tag Suggest. If you’d rather not have Facebook automatically recognize your face in photos, disable that feature in your privacy settings. The information will be deleted.

7)Keep wall posts from friends. You don’t have to share every wall post with every friend. You can also keep certain people from viewing specific items inyour profile.

8)When all else fails, deactivate. When you deactivate your account, Facebook retains your profile data, but the account is made temporarily inaccessible.

Facebook Privacy concerns

For most users of social media, the element of privacy is very important. In terms of Facebook there have been many complaints from users related to privacy issues. Many users belief that it is the fault of Facebook. Therefore a study was done among North Americans and the report breaks down social privacy into a handful of categories: over-sharing by users, underuse of privacy controls, over-collection of data, and cyberbullying or harassment.

Over-Sharing
4.8 million Facebook users have posted their plans for the day on the site, according to the report’s extrapolation. Consumer Reports suggests that’s a potential tip-off for thieves who can use that information to plan a robbery.

It was also stated in the report that Facebook users who publicly “like” a page about a disease, such as diabetes, may tip-off insurers who can then deny those users coverage.

Underuse of Privacy Controls
The common problem among users is that they are unsure of the privacy controls in Facebook. This is common as personally even I am unsure of the privacy controls on Facebook. Users on social media are sometimes too interested in their interaction with their friends and thus forget about their privacy.

It was stated in the report that 13 million users, either haven’t set or don’t know about Facebook’s privacy tools. However, with 188 million users in the U.S. and Canada, that means more than 90% of users do change their privacy settings from the default.

Cyberbullying and Harassment
This problem is very common among teenagers. Especially teenagers who have very low self-esteem get badly affected by cyberbullying. There are also cases of teenagers committing suicide because of cyberbullying.

The report stated that 11% of households using Facebook had problems last year, which ranges from a stranger using their login information to online harassment. The report highlights cyberbullying against children, claiming that 800,000 children under 13 had been harassed or subjected to other forms of cyberbullying on Facebook.

Case Study 1

'We didn't mean to track you' says Facebook as social network giant admits to 'bugs' in new privacy row(Dailymail)

Exposed: Australian technology blogger
Nik Cubrilovic has uncovered Facebook's
practices of tracking users when they are offline

Facebook has admitted that it has been watching the web pages its members visit, even when they have logged out.

Facebook claimed that it was simply a mistake - that software automatically downloaded to users' computers when they logged in to Facebook 'inadvertently' sent information to the company, whether or not they were logged in at the time.

Most would assume that Facebook stops monitoring them after they leave its site, but technology bloggers discovered this was not the case.

It was found out that the data has been regularly sent back to the social network’s servers – data that could be worth billions when creating 'targeted' advertising based on the sites users visit.

Case Study 2

Facebook accused of eroding privacy(Newslink)

The article is basically about Facebook's facial recognition technology activated in Europe without the knowledge of its users.

Facebook "enabled" a function that automatically identifies people in photos without their knowledge. This feature speeds up the process of naming friends and acquaintances who appear in photos posted on Facebook. This means that if a friend "tags" you in one photo, the technology will automatically analyse your face and then attempt to find matches among all their pictures.

Many users criticised Facebook's decision to automatically switch on the facial recognition technology for users. User's suggested that a better option would be to let people opt in.

Last year, the Electronic Privacy Information Centre lodged a complaint about Facebook's privacy practices with the US Federal Trade Commission

User Reviews

As I am doing research on Facebook I felt the need to also share some reviews of some Facebook users as probably these reviews would substantiate my research contributions. Also support the pros and cons of Facebook I have listed. These reviews tell us that we have people from many age groups who use Facebook as a platform for social networking.

 

The most common review I have came across are privacy, issues on cyber-bullying, and the use of the check-in function. Personally I think that these problems can be resolved if we understand our limits in the use of such social media sites and know how to protect our privacy online.

My review on Facebook is that it is a very good platform for people from different parts of the world to interact. Important information can also be passed around timely and efficiently. It is also very useful as a form of entertainment as it allows users to share photos, videos,

music etc. From some research done as part of my

assignment I have learnt how we can prevent any

problems arising from the use of Facebook.

Fror example we should only accept friends who we know or who we are familiar with. We should mind our language in our posts to ensure we do not hurt or insult any particular person. We should also be careful in posting too much of our personal information online.for eg. address, email, age, bank account number etc. Lastly we should ensure that we know how to use the privacy settings on Facebook.

Here are some reviews of Facebook from users that I would like to share.

Kid, 13 years old

I have Facebook - as do a lot of my friends. I understand why they have the set age of 13, but if you're 12 or even 11 for that matter, Facebook is fine! You should know the basics of online safety, though - such as not accepting friend requests from people you do not know. If you know that much, I think you can be on Facebook. But just remember: It's much easier to be mean online than in person. Don't do or say anything online you wouldn't say in person!

ilenee

Teen, 15 years old

not a great idea.

I think that if you let your kids have a facebook, thats great and stuff, but you also have to think about the privacy and how much time they're going to spend on the computer. my friend has a facebook, and its insane how long she spends on there. its like her life is on facebook. i HAD one i DELETED it because i was addicted, and it really wasted my time. i got BULLIED on there, and my account kept getting hacked (i didn't share my password with n e one!) just recently, some kids at my school were bullying my other friend and making rude comments and pages that made her sad.. i don't think any child should go through that. i really think that you should think twice before letting kids on there.

Parent of 8 year old

I agree with the reviews. My step-son's mother opened an account for him to play Farmville. We did not agree with him having an account since he is only 8 years old. She assured us she had the account private. Sure enough after a week or so one of her friends forgot they had an 8 yr old as a friend and were using inappropriate language which was displayed on his wall. There have been other incidents that showed her lack of monitoring the account so we have closed the account.

Teen, 16 years old

Like each social networking websites, you are responsible. Facebook's legal policy says that you must to be at least 13 years old to use it, but I disagree. The FTC COPPA law says, that users under 13 must receive a parental consent and have a bit of guidance. But Facebook stripped this and it makes me very annoying. Internet communication must be availiable for all ages, but Facebook disagreed. Everybody under 13 is trying to violate its legal policy. FTC COPPA law I support a bit. Facebook is not a dating website, not a porn website etc, but a bit suggestive content can appear. I know some underage children on Facebook, and they are very kind, yoi to kawaii desu ne....(sorry for Japanese, in english it will be "kind and cute"). They are not violators, not predators, nor bandits nor gangsters nor terrorists.... I better rate it high PG, or 9-10-11+.

To read more of such reviews click here


My opinion
Personally I think that Facebook is a good social media site for communication. It can be very useful when it it used for educational use. For my school projects I would use Facebook as a platform for discussion and for uploading of any information. I think it is also a very good way to communicate with my friends who I do not often meet up with.

Social media sites can be very useful if users use it appropriately. Sometimes disclosing too much information on a social media site is not a very good idea. Personally I do not post too much personal information online. For eg. birth date, address, and relationship status. I also do not have too much of photos online as it may tend be misused by other users.

Definitely after my research on Facebook I have learnt alot on how to use it effectively and protect my privacy online. I hope my blog has inculcated good values on how to use Facebook. Thanks.

Source:

1.http://tnvrstar.hubpages.com/hub/The-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-using-Facebook

2.http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/consumer-reports-facebook-privacy-problems-are-rise-749990#

3.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smF1ZV7vikw&feature=related

4.http://mashable.com/2012/05/04/facebook-privacy-concerns-study/

5.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2042573/Facebook-privacy-row-Social-network- giant-admits-bugs.html

6.http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=06&year=2011&date=09&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2011_20401304