Facebook, dangerous place?

Do you have Facebook? Probably I guess. In my case, I do not have a Facebook account. What is even more interesting is that I have never had Facebook. I mean, it is not that surprising for me, but people tell me so. I know many people close their Facebook account for a certain reason, and people think that is my case. It has been an interesting journey to stay off this social media platform. The question is why?

As a teen, I struggled to fit in at school. I spent most of my years from middle school through high school alone. It felt like everybody else was at a different level than I was. I think this distant from the world around me kept me from getting involved with social media which was Myspace during middle school and then Facebook during high school. I later defined my identity and did not like to do things under pressure or do things because everybody else was doing it. Facebook was something that everybody was doing and whoever did not was a strange person. I learned to embrace my uniqueness and stayed away from Facebook. As an adult, my choice has been the same. It just never convinced me and I felt good to not go in the same direction as everybody else. I do know the positive side of social media and Facebook but the negative was simply heavier for me. I believe social media could be very damaging, especially during adolescence and should be managed carefully.

According to Manago, Graham, Greenfield, & Salimkhan, even after adolescence, a period of time called emerging adulthood, is still a critical period for identity development (2008). They mention that, as noted by Erikson, adolescents create a sense of self by interacting with peers, as do emerging adults (Manago, 2008). Social media nowadays plays a big role in peer relations, therefore influencing identity development. In fact, Manago and colleagues conducted a study regarding the relation between Myspace and identity, and they found that the social media platform influence personal, social and gender identity (2008). Identity was influenced by the freedom to experiment through social media, false representation, and pressure from social groups; while gender identity was influenced due to role stereotypes especially women who are pressured to sexualize their image (Manago et al., 2008).

So, what about Facebook? Well, it is still popular today! According to Zephoria Digital Marketing, as of June 2017, Facebook has over 2.01 billion active users (Top 20 Facebook Statistics). That is a lot of people. United States population is around 326.1 million people and the world population is around 7. 4 billion people (U.S. Census Bureau). Facebook is all over the world. Assunção, Costa, Tagliabue, & Matos conducted a study to investigate problematic Facebook use among adolescents. They state that Facebook is the most used social media platform in the world and adolescents are increasingly using it as a form of communication and interaction (2017). This study showed that a secure relationship between parents and adolescents result in better relations of adolescents with peers and in turn, less problematic use of Facebook (Assunção et al., 2017). They link these results to the attachment theory, which predicts that a secure parent-child bond results in a trusting person able to form positive relations with others. Assunção et al., explain that face-to-face interaction helps develop interpersonal skills and peer integration reduces problematic use of Facebook (2017).

Another study that relates to this discussion is one conducted by Pentina and Zhang. They conducted a survey among young adults and adults about emotional disclosure on Facebook. The results showed that personality traits, specifically extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness; in addition to support from friends are significantly related to disclosure of positive emotions on Facebook (2017).

In conclusion, Facebook seems to be an extension of the real world. It could go either way, positive or negative. The social media platform allows for experiences that influence the development of identity. It is also an extension of the real world with further space for expression, and it could involve new complexities than the ones experienced face-to-face. My choice is to not get involved in Facebook. I understand now it probably was the best idea to stay way during my adolescence. That is a personal choice, and I think one should just try to keep that space safe and positive.

 

References

Top 20 Facebook Statistics – Updated October 2017. (2017, October 19). Retrieved October 22, 2017, from https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/

Manago, Graham, Greenfield, & Salimkhan (2008). Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology: Self-Presentation and gender on Myspace. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1867078/external_tools/190303

U.S. and World Population Clock. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2017, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/

Assunção, R. S., Costa, P., Tagliabue, S., & Matos, P. M. (2017). Problematic Facebook Use in Adolescents: Associations with Parental Attachment and Alienation to Peers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(11), 2990-2998. doi:10.1007/s10826-017-0817-2

Pentina, I., & Zhang, L. (2017). Effects of Social Support and Personality on Emotional Disclosure on Facebook and in Real Life. Journal of Behavior & Information Technology, 36(5), 484-492. doi: 10.1037/t07016-000

3 comments

  1. Carolyn Anne Reidy

    Great post! I think the fact that you did not get involved with social media when everyone else was and the social pressure to do so was so high shows a lot of maturity for a young adolescent. Even if you didn’t consciously decide to abstain in order to protect yourself from the dangers you discussed and became more aware of later, maybe there was a part of you that also recognized those dangers at the time. Personally, social media was so integral to my interactions and adolescent self-perception that it is difficult to imagine my adolescence without its influence affecting my sense of identity at the time. Although I took a long break from any kind of social media shortly after I entered emerging adulthood, I still struggle to this day with some of the insecurities and worries that I believe stemmed at least in part from my heavy involvement in social media. I often wonder if it would have been better for me not to have created online profiles in the first place. However, I did also experience some positive aspects of social media, which you acknowledged in your post. For instance, Facebook made it easier for me to connect with my peers and get closer to people when I was in a new place, such as summer camp or studying abroad. I completely agree that Facebook is an extension of real life in both its positive and negative attributes. Identity formation is as personal and unique in the context of the online world as it is in real life.

    Carolyn

  2. Lourdes Camille Gonzalez

    I like the way you describe it- over sharing!
    Thanks

  3. Hi,
    Great Post!

    I too am not a Facebook user either. I have tried it in the past but it does nothing for me personally. From my perspective, the site offers a platform to shares one’s life and thoughts which can be a great thing. However, from my experience I felt as though there was an abundance of over sharing on the site and projections of lifestyles and images that aren’t factual.

    Namely, one has to be cautious of the amount of noise they are exposed too on sites such as Facebook. Since each individual has the ability to post whatever they choose, they could potentially expose their friends to violence or unsavory videos that will feed into their timeline. As an example, let say you don’t watch the news because of the violence broadcasted. Your friend could then post a clip of the news in their feed which trickles to your feed. Now the thought of the violence is salient in your memory. Schneider, Gruman, Cotts, 2012, suggested that news “probably has the heaviest concentration of realistic violence.” In other words, it is more frightening to the individual because there is a possibility that the violence could occur in their own neighborhood. (Schneider, Gruman, Cotts, 2012) Unknowingly, to the individual how made the post, they have now exposed you to unwanted images that will remain prevalent for some time.

    So although outlets such as Facebook allow individuals to voice their thoughts and opinions, it may benefit some and impact others in a negative way.
    References

    Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1412976381

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