Dear Mendelson and Papacharissi,
Beyond a simple picture, the whole entire
profile is a self-portrait carefully put together by the author to project
ideas about themselves in a way that they expect people to see them. People can
believe it isn’t intentional, but it is. By filling out a profile, tweaking
your “about me,” religious beliefs, favorite films, etc., projects how you want
people to perceive you. Even leaving space like that blank still perpetuates an
expectation of you for your audience. They’re created for a connection, big or
small, lovers, friends, or acquaintances; it’s exactly the point.
The impact of social networking is undeniable;
especially in an era where to
friend is a verb. We’re only just beginning to understand the
implications of such sites for friendship, and for our notions of privacy,
authenticity, community, and identity. It's no surprise that people who have an
inflated sense of themselves and are more self-centered thrive on social
networks by having more friends and post more attractive pictures of themselves.
When people post statuses about average
day-to-day activities multiple times a day, they are seeking the validation
(in this case, likes) from others. Before Facebook, I personally don't recall
that if I was going to sleep for example, I would make sure at least twenty
people knew before doing so. Now, there are hundreds of statuses posted
everyday literally about nothing. It's human for us to talk and tell each other
what's going on in our lives, but social networking has taken it to a new
extreme.
-Kyle
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