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Facebook sharing: Do you know what you’re talking about?

January 23, 2013 by BPSTherapy 3 Comments

The entire world and their mother see what you post on Facebook. With that being said, why would you post something before thinking about it? Posting on Facebook is expected – it’s a social network. But posting things without having a clue as to what you are posting is another animal entirely.

There’s a little thing called netiquette which is the concept of etiquette on the internet. Have you heard of it?

Netiquette covers many things including how to talk to others in the online world, through social media, emails, text messages, etc. Facebook is an online social media networking site – key words being “social” and “networking”.

When you post things, many people will see them. Why not post things that will invite conversation instead of alienating others. Worse yet, if you are posting something offensive and are clueless as to why it’s offensive, then you are in danger of causing a major stir in the social media world – a stir in which you will be helpless because you may have shared something without knowing the true message behind it.

Just today when surfing my Facebook feed, I saw a few things from people I “socialize” with that made me do a double-take. Does the fact that you are on the internet make it ok to post things that are hurtful or negligent of others’ feelings? Ignorance is no excuse.

The disinhibition effect, yet another concept unique to online interactions may explain why you don’t think before you click.

The disinhibition concept involves the idea that we tend to get more comfortable on the internet because we think we are ‘invisible’. What does that mean? We are safe to post whatever we want, wherever we want, without thinking about it for a second.

How do you approach posting something on your Facebook profile? Is your timeline something others don’t mind visiting? Or are you one of those Facebook members that purposely tries to offend others by posting “jokes” that are aimed at insulting, belittling or otherwise hurting others?

Sources: Netiquette

What’s your approach to posting things on Facebook? Do you think before you click? Or, are you in the “I’ll post whatever I want whenever I want!” mindset? How’s that working out for you?

Filed Under: All Topics, Social Media Tagged With: disinhibition effect, facebook, netiquette, online behavior, social media

Presidential elections change Facebook friendships

October 12, 2012 by BPSTherapy Leave a Comment

The 2012 vice presidential candidates debate took place on October 12, 2012. How did your Facebook feed look as it was taking place?

Social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook allow users a variety of options. Some users are blocking or unfriending their connections more and more often as the 2012 presidential elections draw near. It used to be you could just avoid someone if you did not agree with their political views. Or if you had that aunt or uncle that refused to leave politics out of dinner, you could just not invite them.

But with social media such as Facebook, you are bombarded with political messages from your connections, all day long! However, you are not stuck reading all of these messages. A lot of people have decided to block connections, remove friends from their friends list, or simply remove someone from their news feed.

Why do people decide to take measures to clean up their Facebook feed? One study titled “Social Networking Sites and Politics” published by Lee Rainie and Aaron Smith, suggests:

38% of social networking site users have discovered through their friends’ postings that their political beliefs were different than they thought

It seems different social networking users take different approaches to handling their disagreement with their connections’ posting. The study goes on to explain:

10% of SNS users have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on the site because that person posted too frequently about political subjects

9% of SNS users have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on the site because they posted something about politics or issues that they disagreed with or found offensive

8% of SNS users have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on the site because they argued about political issues on the site with the user or someone the user knows

5% of SNS users have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on the site because they posted something about politics that the user worried would offend other friends

4% of SNS users have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on the site because they disagreed with something the user posted about politics

Sources: Pew Internet, Fox 31 News

Once November rolls around, the elections will have come and gone. But how will your friendships fare? Will you be able to talk to your Facebook friends after the presidential votes are cast? How has the 2012 Presidential elections impact your social networking connections?

Filed Under: All Topics, Social Media Tagged With: facebook, facebook friends, hiding from your facebook feed, social media, social media users, social networking sites, unfriending, vice presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates debate

Dating trends: App lets creepy stalkers meet single women

March 31, 2012 by BPSTherapy 1 Comment

Social media has its perks. You are able to network with others, perhaps make new friends, and even find a date. But where do you draw the line? One app called ‘Girls Around Me’, recently made inaccessible on Facebook, claimed to help you find women around you.

The app not only helped you find them physically, but also allowed you to gain access to their personal information in their Facebook accounts such as gender, birthday, and even photos.

The ‘Girls Around Me’ website was using a catch phrase that insinuated users would gain ‘control’ over women, essentially gaining power over them since they would be able to know them personally, without even having to gain their permission or personally meet them.

Potentially a dangerous app, FourSquare took the initiative to remove the app from their site stating:

“The application was in violation of our API policy, so we reached out to the developer and shut off their API access,” a Foursquare spokeswoman said Saturday. She said Foursquare has a policy against aggregating information across venues to prevent situations like this where someone would present an inappropriate overview of a series of locations.”

The website for ‘Girls Around Me’ boasts:

“Girls Around Me is the perfect complement to any pick-up strategy,”

“And with millions of chicks checking in daily, there’s never been a better time to be on the hunt.”

What does it say about our society and the way some dating singles view the dating experience as a whole? Has the dating scene become so jaded, filled with creepy people, that women are no longer safe connecting with others through social media? Dating trends are impacted by many things in life, including social networking sites.

Are dating relationships at risk of becoming impersonal for fear that you may meet the wrong person through an app such as ‘Girls Around Me’? Should these apps come with warnings for both users and the women being stalked?

What are your thoughts? What do you think the future holds for dating trends?

Sources: MailOnline, The Wallstreet Journal

Filed Under: All Topics, Dating Trends, Online Dating, Relationships, Social Media Tagged With: apps, dating dangers, dating relationships, facebook, foursquare, girls around me, single women, stalkers

Facebook Adoption helps families grow

February 16, 2012 by BPSTherapy 1 Comment

Adoption can be a very trying time for a couple facing the challenge of infertility. Desperate to be parents, some couples find they feel disillusioned with the entire process of adopting a child of their own. Facebook however, a powerful social media tool, has been slowly changing the face of the adoption process for these couples seeking to become parents. Instead of going through the traditional roads these would-be parents would face, they are taking to Facebook, creating groups that enable them to network with others in the hopes of finding a child to love.

Adoption is a process that takes its toll on a couple. Whether gay or straight, a couple facing the challenges of wanting to have a child of their own can endure great emotional turmoil as they are turned away repeatedly, either through the foster care system, or through failed fertility attempts. Facebook groups have become a place of refuge, sources of social support, and even avenues by which some couples have found a child to adopt! Couples are opting for either joining these groups via Facebook or creating videos that depict their desire to have a child and what they are looking for.

What do you think of Facebook as a tool for finding a child to adopt? Do you think it’s a safe way to grow your family? Watch the video below to see one couples’ story.

Sources: ABC News, Milford Daily News