Facebook: Friend or Foe?

676 Words2 Pages

Facebook was causing problems for University IT departments long before it was ever called Facebook. In 2003, Zuckerberg created an Am I Hot or Not? application on his facemash.com site and was accused of “breaching security, violating copyrights and violating individual privacy” (Kaplan, 2003). So it isn’t surprising that Mitrano, the Director of IT Policy and Computer Policy & Law at Cornell seeks to warn the Cornell student body of possible consequences of irresponsible use of Facebook in the article Thoughts on Facebook. What is surprising is that IT policy guidance is typically found in an actual policy document, rather than an essay or article. Mitrano sought to provide Cornell IT policy guidance on the ramifications of Facebook via friendly Facebook advice from a credible source. Because of missed opportunities to inform, overriding concerns over policy, and lack of knowledge regarding the controls within the Facebook application, Mitrano’s article was not as persuasive as it should have been. In Thoughts on Facebook, Mitrano’s primary message to students was to be careful with the technology, because information posted on Facebook could be available and used in ways that the student did not originally intend (2006). Certainly, good advice that is delivered with anecdote after anecdote, example after example. In fact, by the end of the article, students are likely terrified that Geico insurance agents are roaming through Facebook looking for evidence to raise their insurance rates, or that their friends will sue them for defamation or libel after posting a bad picture. More likely, because of the unrealistic claim of effect, students filed the information in their trash bin, assuming that the University just does n... ... middle of paper ... ... it was a one-way article on the dangers of Facebook and the ramifications to students. In addition, the author appeared to be out of touch with capabilities of the Facebook application and made several blunders that undermined the entire message. In essence, the article was far less persuasive than it should have been because of missed opportunities to inform, overriding policy concerns and a basic lack of credibility. Works Cited Kaplan, K. (2003, November 19). Facemash Creator Survives Ad Board. Harvard News. Retrieved June 5, 2011, from http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/19/facemash-creator-survives-ad-board-the/ Mitrano, T. (2006, April). CIT: Thoughts on Facebook. CIT: Computing at Cornell. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from http://www.cit.cornell.edu/policies/socialnetworking/facebook.cfm Mitrano, T. (2008). Facebook 2.0. Educause Review, 43(2), 2.

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