So I’ve had both Facebook and MySpace for quite a few years now and they’re a part of my life that I can’t really go without anymore. They allow me to connect with a lot of friends that I might not see on a daily basis anymore and even the ones that I see fairly often. If I don’t feel like calling somebody to talk, I can just send them a message or a comment and get caught up. And if the friend is an avid poster, they will probably have tons of pictures or status updates on what they’re doing or where they’re going so I guess technically you can find out what they’re up to without really talking to them, but that’s not always the case. But it’s always interesting to see what others write about themselves and what they choose to display on their profiles. Even some of your good friends that you’ve known for a number of years can surprise you with what they show.
My profiles on each site represent me in such a manner that I think is respectable. I try to avoid the party photos or any other kind of photo that could be considered questionable, especially if the company I was working at saw them. Even though I have my privacy options set to keep the photos hidden, you never know what might get out. I’d say that the photos posted on these sites are what really reveal a person to the outside world. I’ve become friends with a few coworkers and I thought I knew them somewhat well, but then getting a glimpse at their profiles and the pictures they have up, you wouldn’t think it’s the same person. They represent themselves in a totally different way online than from what I know them as in real life. They expose more of themselves and show a private side of that not everybody can see.
I don’t say anything that’s false on either of my profiles, but for certain things like which movies or tv shows do I like, I sometimes think about whether I should list the show or not. I think about what that show might say about me and whether it’d be a smart choice. Think about if you put that you really like watching The Girls Next Door versus watching Lost or Prison Break. Those are all fairly different shows and I’d say that The Girls Next Door could be inappropriate compared to the other two under certain conditions. I don’t watch any of those shows, but it just shows how what you say about yourself can really affect the way people see you.
The book talks about a number of things that can affect your online identity and one issue they address is pseudonymity. I’ve only known one person that falsely represented themselves to a degree that it was painful to even look at their profile. They made themselves out to be really “gangsterish” and posted lots of intimidating photos and used language that made them sound really dumb. I had known the person for quite a while before I had seen the profile, so I knew they weren’t like anything they said they were on MySpace. Needless to say, not too long after friending them, I decided to remove them because it was just too much and they way over did it.
January 30, 2009 at 12:00 am
Alex,
I agree with that you were saying about how you want yourself to be perceived a certain way by the people that you work for. I am on the basketball team here at OSU and I have to maintain a certain look and certain maturity in the pictures that I am in. It’s hard because I am a college student and I do like to go out. Now that doesn’t mean I’m always the one doing things that wouldn’t be acceptable, but others are and even if I’m only around it any person is allowed to look at the pictures and they can make any assumptions they want. It amazes me what people think is considered acceptable to put online where anyone and everyone can see.
January 30, 2009 at 11:35 am
I have to agree with you on your statements about the information and photos someone chooses to put on their page. You are right and you never know when the photos or information can be released and your job or whoever might see. I think the celebrities know this best, if you don’t want anyone to see, or are embarrassed or ashamed about whatever is going on in the photo; you probably shouldn’t have been doing whatever it was you were doing, when the photo was taken. ( if that makes sense =) )
I know a few people whose coaches or bosses got on them about their MySpace pages or facebook pages, or photos of them that were on SOMEONE ELSES page. The easiest way to avoid scandalous photos from leaking out is to stop doing the scandalous behavior.