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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Facebook, Kids and Honesty in Profile Creation


The subject of younger children engaging in social media scares me somewhat.  When I was that young, I was running around outside playing games with my friends, not inside sitting on a computer using a superficial site to communicate with my peers.  I think it is not right for so many 10 and 12 year olds to have Facebook accounts.  There is a law against it for a reason.  It is so easy for them to lie about their age online, just like everyone else who may be older and does it.  This situation just adds to the fact that you usually cannot trust identities online.  I remember when the issue was brought up while using the AOL instant messenger program.  Anyone can say what sex or age they are online, but that does not mean it’s true.  If you ask for a picture, they could find one on Google in less than a minute.
 
In regards to the fictional profiles for characters and pets, I do not think that this is such a big deal.  It is easier to disregard those, compared to the fake profiles for humans.  I think that it could be a possibility overall for Facebook to do more to verify and confirm the information that people are required to enter in order to make an account online.  However, I think this would take away from some of the exciting part of Facebook.  Many people like to convey themselves in a different way online than they actually are in person.  Facebook seems like a good application for these people to use, but if you know how to spot the fakers, then you’re good to go.

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