Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Facebook

One topic about Facebook that Professor Levinson did not discuss but that I find interesting is what do you do when you're friends with someone in reality but do not want to be their friend on Facebook? I was recently talking with my cousin who is a 28 year old 1st grade teacher on Long Island. Every year she runs into the same issue, parents friend requesting her on Facebook and then approaching her when it was obvious she had declined. She is not the only person I know this sort of interaction has happened to but how do you explain your decision to decline when they are obviously upset and hurt. I wonder if our lives have become so connected to social media that we only consider people our friends when we are friends with them in real life and on some friend web platform. Is being a friend online validation of a friendship?

1 comment:

  1. Great point. We are still working all of this out, and there are differences of opinion and attitude about what is appropriate and inappropriate when it comes to friending individuals who are not peers. For me, I accept friend requests from students, but I don't initiate them.

    ReplyDelete