Does Facebook Have A Vote?

Within the past couple of months I have seen how Facebook has taken a new direction for the better. Facebook has joined forces with one of the top political sources on television, CNN. Facebook and CNN have teamed up to help people of the 18-25 age group get involved and become more aware of politics, and at the same time, make it fun and appealing. It makes me kind of wonder if Facebook, and other social networks had anything to do with Obama winning the election, or if it didn’t do anything? Or which age group had the biggest impact on the election? 18-25?

In my eyes I feel that Facebook has been an outlet for voters of a younger age group, because CNN has found ways that young voters can relate by using their statuses as a way to communicate with other voters and give their opinions on what is going on in the world politically. It has been become something to look forward to, and something to promote the fact that social networks do have a positive message, and can actually make a difference in the world. Why do you think CNN chose Facebook to partner with, and not some other company?
People of an older generation are not as technologically equipped an aware to use technology like Facebook to find out what other people are talking about, when it comes to their political views. They rely on things like television and newspapers. That’s why this new way of blogging your political views and all social networks were targeted to younger voters. It’s interesting to me because most people, not just older people rely and trust things like CNN, but when it comes to CNN, and Facebook initially they feel that it would not be as legit, but in actuality it is, because you are getting real honest opinions of people about how they feel with the election and their views, and helping influence others in their own way.

Facebook might just seem like a place to waste time while doing homework, but I think that it has proven itself to be more than just a social network.

Facebook...Good or Bad?

I have chosen to do this blog on Facebook, and understanding which age group, or gender uses Facebook, the most. Why they use it the most, and what they are doing on Facebook. Also if there should be age restrictions. In an article I found entitled, “Latest Data on US Facebook Age and Gender Demographics.” It talks about how females seem to use to Facebook the most out of those of male users. And 18-25 is the largest age group that uses Facebook. From this article I want to know what you think about Facebook having an age restriction, and which age group uses Facebook the most, and finally which gender do you believe are bigger Facebookers, and why.

There are many pros to having Facebook open to all ages. For example a lot of older people that are on Facebook find a lot of their classemates from all over, and it is very easy to stay in touch with them in a very user friendly way. Other websites are probably not that accurate and probably not that easy to use, for example classmate.com. By having Facebook you give people more freedom to express themselves in ways they would normally especially for people they haven’t seen in a while. And in less than ten minutes without having to hold a conversation you are caught up on their current lifestyle.

Another pro is finding people on Facebook that could be potential people that you would date. I have so many friends that found their significant other on Facebook. They feel that Facebook is a reliable place to find partners because of the way Facebook provides information about people you don’t know. For example, their interests, activities, how they look, even how old they are, (if they are being honest). Basically kind of a pre-interview before you make your move, or start something serious.

But there are also cons to having Facebook open to different age groups. Older people, or job related reasons. Many people I know feel that Facebook should have an age limit mainly because they feel like when someone who is a lot older than you asks to be your friend or see your profile when you don’t know them, makes you feel very uncomfortable, especially because of the type of information is put out on the web. I don’t understand why someone would want to be your friend when they don’t know, and especially when they aren’t even in your age group.
Another reason is the thought of future or current employers seeing your profile, especially when one might have pictures of themselves doing something that their employer would necessarily approve of. This could end up hurting their career, and getting them in a lot of trouble, or causing them to get fired. Even if that person is very professional in the office.

One thing that has always interested me, is studying other people, and understanding what they think on a particular topic. For instance how someone feels about dating and relationships, to the most popular television show on television. Knowing what goes on in someone’s mind is very interesting, and understanding the reasons behind their thoughts helps answer tons of questions that people probably ask themselves on a day to day basis.