Facebook & Power.
For the purpose of this assessment, I have chosen to
explore a social media in which almost everyone is familiar with: Facebook. I
have been an active member of this particular social networking site since 2009
and have friends who also have active Facebook accounts.
Facebook’s basic features allow for anyone to create a
profile and provide their information in the form of current work, education,
likes and dislikes, etc. This person can then add other people with similar interests
or friendship groups. Facebook also allows the user to post “statuses”, which
can center on what the person is thinking and feeling at that very moment.
Other uses have the option to like the status, comment or ignore.
Facebook favors those who “display the bigger
capabilities at their disposal, whether it is financial muscle, skills,
information, contacts or sheer fire-power” (Allen, 2003). It allows for these
people to let their message be heard and can be reached to a far bigger
audience around Facebook. For example, the Rock is able to promote an
advertisement about the importance of drinking milk, as seen here.
Facebook from my experience can empower and dis-empower you. Again, using (Allen, 2003), moderators have the
power to add and remove content. Users are only able to view certain pages if
they have permission. The moderators and users of these pages also have power
which is sometimes abused. In this news article,, it shows how Facebook users have misused their power.
Moving throughout Facebook has been designed so it is
easy and you are able to keep track of your movement (and your friend’s movement)
through the Activity Log. It does however raise the question of security and if
you can control your own sense of “power”.
Bibliography
Allen, J. (2003). Lost
Geographies of Power. Melbourne: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Tribune, T. C.
(2013). thespec.com. Retrieved August 16, 2013, from thespec.com:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4035287-internet-trolls-vandalize-facebook-memorial-for-matthew-kocher-heap-grief-on-family/
Really good blog. Enjoyed how you wrote about power and how it has both the influence to empower you as well as disempower you. Liked how you linked it back to Allen's research on moderators. Great blog and I cant wait to read your next one.
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