The Issue of Text and Identity (Facebook.com)

The society that we are living in today places a very high value on an individual’s identity. The term itself means a great deal more than simply the physical characteristics of a person, but rather an ‘identity’ in the broad sense captures how an individual communicates and expresses who they are to the rest of the world. For me, I imagine all of the components of an identity as specific and unique traits of every single person, and these identities should be guarded and not slathered openly to millions of eyes on the Internet. This is where Nancy Hass’ article ‘In Your Facebook. Com’ comes into play. Hass writes about how Facebook has become a phenomenon across the realm of college life. I can admit from personal experience that every single one of my college and high school aged friends have Facebook, but unlike some others, I do not have a Facebook “addiction”. Hass explains that some students are obsessed with the Facebook status of others and check the site “everyday, up to six times a day”. This factual information bothers me, because in reality young adults are allowed to view the personal information that other students have put on the web, and this can lead to dangerous situations such as online stalking and sexual predators. I am aware that Facebook has taken security measures for all of its users, but safety only goes so far. Computer hackers have the skills to hack into any site they choose, and what if that site contains very personal information such as where you live, how old you are, and what hobbies you have. I believe the Internet can be a good place full of helpful information, but at the same time it can be a dangerous place if users, such as Facebook members, refuse to resist putting their private identities online. Facebook should be strictly a social network, not a public place to post your private life for all to see just as Hass states, Facebook is “changing the nature of public and private identity”.