How Facebook Features can be used in a Positive Manner

The growth and popularity of online social networks has created a new world of collaboration and communication (Cheung, Chiu, Lee). More than a billion individuals around the world are connected and networked together to create, collaborate, and contribute their knowledge and wisdom (Cheung, Chiu, Lee). Connecting with new classmates, re-connecting with old friends, or maintaining relationships are three positive ways that social networking sites can be used. Launched in February 2004 by students at Harvard University, Facebook is an online social networking site initially designed to replace the University’s paper student directory (Haspels). Facebook is now used widely across the world for many different reasons, including personal and business purposes. Although Facebook is portrayed to many people as a negative tool, this social networking site can be very beneficial and have positive outcomes with relationships.

Online social networking can benefit students by facilitating an initial sense of connection and community (Eberhardt). Everyone desires a sense of belonging, which Facebook can help fill in certain situations, such as wanting to join a new group. Even before individuals become undergraduates, they often begin to identify as part of its community by adding their chosen college or university and their anticipated year of graduation to their profile (Eberhardt). Knowing people and names before starting a new chapter of one’s life can make the transition easier. When these students establish virtual links with each other and join cohort groups, they find themselves connected with some of their new classmates many months before they enroll and personally meet, which can provide an initial sense of belonging at their new school (Eberhardt).

After students have progressed beyond their initial transition to college life, online social networking can continue to aid them by providing a valuable means of discovery and connection within their educational community (Eberhardt). Keeping in touch with alumni and members that have been in previous classes can one day in turn be beneficial to a job search. As students change, they may find that they wish to engage in different activities. Joining different clubs, groups, or teams on a college campus through Facebook can be used by students once beginning their college career. They can more easily pursue these endeavors by searching their institution’s online networks for individual profiles and groups that match their interests (Eberhardt).

Following its launch, it (Facebook) quickly spread to college campuses across the nation, quickly becoming a poplar way for college students to maintain ties (Haspels). Where once letters, and then e-mail were the preferred method of communication that spanned the miles, the advent of online social networking sites has provided a way for students to maintain contact with hometown friends and new friendships gained from summer experiences (Haspels). For example, in the past, students that have attended different group camps or events had no way of contacting the people they met expect through writing letters or a phone call, if you knew their telephone number. With social networking sites, like Facebook, people are able to connect all across the world, even if they are not in the same country or time zone. One can view a profile of the person they just met and learn more about them. These networks operate by providing individuals with Web pages or profiles that can be customized to varying degrees in order to display personal information (Eberhardt). Not only does Facebook allow for easy and convenient access to instant communication, it also provides updated information on a person’s life, whether it is biographical information, the status of a relationship, what the student is doing at a precise moment, or their latest pictures (Haspels).

Since social interactions and connection is the objective of online social networks, it is more appropriate to consider the use of online social networks as collective social action (Cheung, Chiu, Lee). Social network sites provide users with a variety of communication tools (Smock, Ellison, Lampe, Yvette Wohn). These communication tools can be used to the Facebook user’s benefit. For example, the SNS Facebook allows users to broadcast messages to large audiences using status updates and Wall posts, while also providing features, such as chat for messages the user wishes to keep private (Smock, Ellison, Lampe, Yvette Wohn). All of these features can be used in a positive way that show how beneficial Facebook can be, not only to the college student, but to the regular user, as well.  

One feature is the action of updating a status on Facebook. Status updates are short messages contributed by users that are visible to other users via the News Feed, a feature that aggregates the Facebook activity of one’s friend network (Smock, Ellison, Lampe, Yvette Wohn). Having the ability to update a status can be extremely beneficial when a person needs to provide information to a large audience. Instead of individually calling or texting everyone that they have to tell the news to, one has the ability to update a status that everyone is able to view. This particular communication tool can be used when a family member passes away or someone in the family gets married. In situations like this, the individual or family might be more comfortable to post to a larger audience rather than telling everyone individually because of the time telling everyone can occupy. In the business world, status updates can be used to promote different daily sales or deals that occur. Also, if the business happened to have to close for a reason, such as a power outage, they are able to let the community and their followers know by updating a status.

Another feature that can be used in a positive way is the Facebook Wall. The Wall is the hub of a user’s profile and displays aggregated posts, photos, videos, and applications-related content from the profile holder, as well as comments and other context contributed by Facebook Friends (Smock, Ellison, Lampe, Yvette Wohn). A wall post could be used to say happy birthday to an old friend one does not see much or to maintain a relationship with a family member who lives far away. The wall feature could also be helpful when starting relationships. One could post “Glad to have met you today” to help further the friendship that just started. Facebook has become widely popular with businesses, such as with the fashion industry. Posting pictures and news of the newest clothes and latest trends is a way that the Facebook Wall can be used in a positive manner. Another example of businesses applying Facebook to be beneficial would be if news stations used the Facebook Wall feature to share the latest and newest stories. This would keep all of their audience involved and easy access to the articles would be there also.

Chatting with friends on Facebook could be used as another helpful feature featured in the social networking world. Each Facebook user has the ability to send private messages to most other users using a feature similar to email or can engage in synchronous communication using Facebook’s chat (or instant messaging) service (Smock, Ellison, Lampe, Yvette Wohn). Instant messaging over Facebook can be used once a relationship is developed to continue and further that relationship. For example, college students could use this chat system to connect with classmates about homework and assignments. An instant message could consist of more than two people, such as a group chat could occur that includes two or three students in the same class discussing ideas and thoughts. Chatting could also be beneficial to Facebook users who need to connect with people they do not normally talk. For example, if one does not have a phone number for the person they are trying to contact, but they are still their Facebook friend, they could send them a message to initiate the conversation.  

In conclusion, one can use Facebook in a positive and correct manner, even when it can be displayed so wrongly and negatively. Through chatting with old and new friends, maintaining long distance and family relationships through posting wall posts, and sharing information over a status update for all the your Facebook audience to see can all be examples of how to use Facebook properly. Connection to each other is desirable; we just must know the correct way to use the communication tools and features Facebook provides us as society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Haspels, Melanie. (2008). Proceedings of the 4^th Annual GRASP symposium. “Will you be my Facebook Friend?” Wichita State University.

Smock, Andrew D.; Ellison, Nicole B.; Lampe, Cliff; Wohn, Donghee Yvette. (2011). Computers in Human Behavior. “Facebook as a toolkit: A uses and gratification approach to unbundling feature use.”    

Cheung, Christy M.K.; Chiu, Pui-Yee; Lee, Matthew K.O. (2010). Computers in Human Behavior. “Online social networks: Why do students use Facebook?”