Thesis Paragraph: Commentary

In our world today, we can connect with other people in far off countries in mere seconds, and all it takes is a click of a button. A text or an email can get sent and be received in the blink of an eye. And now that it is easier to stay connected, people are using that to their advantage. Online social networking is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Sites like match.com and eharmony claim to have connected millions of happy couples. College students, like the students at UCF, are continually using the website Facebook. And while it has many positive attributes, it appears to have negative effects as well. Here at UCF, Facebbok is used as a way to meet friends, to keep friends, and to bring groups together. In theory, Facebook is a great tool, but have we begun to overuse it in ways that are unhealthy for our social lives?

Outline

1. Opening paragraph:
A. Introduction
B. Thesis
So what? In this opening paragraph, I am going to introduce the reader to the issue of Facebook use on college campus. Is it a friend or foe to everyday relationships? It does have it's positives, but it also has its drawbacks. I will put a thesis in my opening thoughts addressing the question as to whether or not our use now of Facebook is a problem.

2. Amount of use Facebook gets by people my age.
A. Who do students talk to on Facebook?
B. How much is said through Facebook that should be done in person?
C. How long are students online, and how often?
So what? I am going to (hopefully) find statistics on use of Facebook. It is important to see how often students use Facebook. One negative of Facebook is the fact that people interact so much on the internet with their close friends, and sometimes more so. I need to address the issue of whether or not this has an effect on the relationships.

3. Effect Facebook has on everyday relationships.
A. How is Facebook being used?
a. Are people using it as a social networking site?
b. Or is it being misused?
B. It does have positives
a. It helps people connect with out of state or far off friends.
So what? I will pull in examples of how people use Facebook (i.e. Wedding announcements, or angry post) as well as staying connected. While it is a great place to find people, should it be used fior such important conversations as well?

4. UCF Students use
A. Clubs?
B. Advertising?
So what? Here I will find examples of clubs that are groups on Facebook. And i will discuss advertising and being a "fan" of a company on Facebook.

5. Facebook as an marketing tool
A. Opinions?
B. Specialized Ad campaigns to each individual user.
So what? Facebook has Ads all down ther sides of our walls. I am going to do research and see if any major corporations have ever discussed using Facebook specifically as a marketing tool. Does this trend bother users? Or do most people ignore the Ads either way.

6. Conclusion
So what? Here I will conclude my thoughts. While I like Facebook in theory, I feel that it is being misused.

Letter to Nicole

So how often do you get on Facebook? It is really common to be on Facebook on campus here. I see so many students messing around on Facebook in class or at the computer labs. I wonder if it is the same everywhere. My guess is that it is.

Students our age really like Facebook. I know you have an account; even I am in contact with you through Facebook. But doesn't it seem like our society is kind of overdoing it? So many companies want you to join them on Facebook. The radio station I listen to offers contests where they give away concert tickets to their "fans" on Facebook. What does that even mean, to be a fan on Facebook? I know how you become one, but what does it achieve? Do more people buy products if there are more fans of it on Facebook? That would make Facebook more than just a social networking site. That would also make it a marketing tool.

It also amazes me how detailed the advertisements are per each account user. My friend, Sadie, just got engaged. She posted a comment on her wall about how all the advertisements on her page are now for wedding diets, wedding dresses, or otherwise wedding related! It is really crazy how the world can now create advertisements around each individual person.

Speaking of Sadie, she announced her wedding date through Facebook. Her wedding date! And sadly enough, it seems a natural place to post an important date like that now. While she probably will still send out official save-the-dates, it is a good place to start letting everyone know. But we now use this site for more than just connecting with people we have lost touch with, one of the number one reasons people claim they use Facebook.

I know hear stories about people who were dumped through Facebook. A fellow student, Jessica, posted the other day “Jessica… is sad how her boyfriend doesn’t put her first anymore. She wanted to go to his house just to say hey, but he wouldn’t let her because he had friends over.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem like anyone else’s business but Jessica and her boyfriend’s. How can that help, telling the world you are unhappy with someone close to you? It goes well beyond discussing your problems with one or two friends, just to get a trusted opinion on the matter. I get it; sometimes you need to talk your thoughts over with a third party. But to openly tell the world: I’m pissed off at so-and-so, and here’s why. That seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

I don’t know. I see the great positives to Facebook. I know I’m in contact with people I wouldn’t be if not for Facebook. And I do appreciate it for that aspect. Clubs for UCF are started and kept up through Facebook. People can stay in contact easily without having to arrange rendezvous times around students messy schedules .But I still think we over use it here. I don’t think it should be used to stay in contact with those we see everyday, that we live with, that we are close to. I don’t think it breeds for healthy relationships. And I think there is too much temptation to tell the world what you think, when sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut.

10 Questions

1. Who do you primarily interact with on facebook?
A: Friends on campus and from home, and family.

2. How much information about yourself do you feel safe posting on facebook?
A: Only things about himself like hobbies. Not political views or religious ones. He posts candid photos, not home address or even where he lives.

3. How often do you get online and for how long?
A: A couple times a week. And for 30 minutes to and hour and a half.

4. How much of the interaction that you do online could be done face to face, or even over the telephone?
A: He doesn't initiate chatting on facebook, or check who is online. Prefers to talk on the phone. Keeps in touch with aquantinces on facebook, more than real friends.

5. Has any relationship been ruined because of facebook? Or any really been helped?
A: no, no.

6. How does he know what he knows?
A: Because he has a facebokk account.

7. Who is he to the subject?
A: Someone who owns a facebook page. A passive user.

8. How is this event connected to another event?
A: Lots of these go on through facebook. Connects you to the world.

9. What if things were different?
A: Probably wouldn't keep in touch with as many people.

10. Why is this important?
A: Facebook is the leading networking site.

Facebook: Friend or Foe?

I am a little biased towards facebook. I have never really understood the pull of the trend. I would rather talk face to face with someone then constantly through a computer. But on the other hand, I do understand its great appeal towards keeping in touch with people who live far away. Clubs are started for school through facebook; fellow students become friends by interacting in this virtual way. There is a great deal of appeal for students. This feels like a safer environment to address someone you barely know. If you want to befriend the kid that sits next to you in Spanish, it is easier to request it through facebook than it is in class. If they deny your request in this passive environment, the rejection is less painful than it would have been face to face. Most of the time a request is accepted because a friend on facebook isn’t necessarily a friend in real life. But it is a start, a way into to someone else’s life.

This social networking trend started with myspace. I will admit I used myspace addictively for a few months. But then I lost interest. Most of the people in my generation have moved on to facebook and get on it many times a week. I am different in this respect. But I also don't really understand facebook, all of the groups and page requests. However, I suppose I don’t interact with others as much as I could. I find it weird to page through someone else’s pictures, even though they were posted with the intent for everyone to look at. It feels too personal to me to peek into these people’s lives, people I haven’t really spoken to in years, and flip through their friends and activities.