Digital Media

When it comes to digital media, Facebook is what I use the most. I have had my account for probably six years or so, and have witnessed my own profile's changes and adaptations as well as the site itself.

While in highschool, I had an account but didn't really ever use it. The people I communicated with, I usually came into contact with every day in real life, so I never really used a virtual meeting place. Now, however, I find that this virtual meeting place is what appeals to me the most about Facebook. I come from a large family and have many friends that are spread out across the globe; my cousin lives in China, another one in Germany, friends studying abroad, sister living in Canada, and my girlfriend lives in England. Facebook allows me to keep in contact with all of them for free. Long distance, international calls are expensive, and the time differences don't allow for immediate communication. I can send messages, wall posts, and even look at their pictures, all without a specific time schedule.

One element of Facebook that everyone is somewhat worried about is privacy. Postings, comments, and pictures online are readily accessible and fairly permanent. You can be searched for by almost anyone, but luckily I have a pseudonym for my account so that few people can find me. An interesting thing about having a different name on my account is that some "friends" actually believe that that is my real name. This definitely helps explain what is meant as a "friend" online.

Other than a different name on my account, my profile is pretty informative. I have on it my hometown, current town, school, and job. However, all my photos are blocked so no one else can look at them unless I give them access.

Another feature I enjoy is the ability to post sites and articles from all over the web. I often post anything that I have read in various news sources, to a music video, on my wall or even on to my friends' walls. The comments that follow allow for a debate on topics and issues that we find interesting.

Facebook helps in forming and maintaining relationships with people I know and interact with often in real life. Every few months or so I do what I like to call a "friend purge" and delete any "friends" that I do not actually communicate. I like to keep my list small so as to build meaningful relationships that can in turn be forms of networking for the future. I have some teachers I have had in the past, along with adults such as relatives and friends' mothers.

When it comes to friends' mothers, an issue of appropriateness comes up. I have had friends delete articles or videos I have posted on their walls because they feared their parent reading it, when in reality it is an issue that the wall owner is actually passionate about. This shows that some people wish to portray an ideal self on the web.

Rick Ayers makes some good points about Facebook for educators. It is a great tool to network and keep people informed like his wife does with each grade levels. Creating groups and events lets the message get out about issues and deadlines. For myself, I could see myself creating groups for my classes, (under a different profile than my personal account) and displaying assignments and help. The students and I could even have a question and answer forum in case their are difficulties with an assignment. This could be a bit better than having a class website since many students spend a majority of their web time on Facebook already.