Communication and Facebook

        As a communications major, facebook is a topic that is frequently discussed and came up a lot at the end of chapter 11 in our textbooks on Communication in Organizations.  Facebook has created a revolution in the communications field.  It has enabled people to connect and communicate with people all over the word instantly.  It has also greatly affected the business world.  Businesses are using it to look up prospective employees and to advertise and promote their products.  Although I may be alone in my beliefs, I personally think Facebook has hindered communication in several ways.  I think although people might be communicating more with people that they normally would have, this type of communication is really unauthentic and depersonalized.  I also think its an illusion-by this I mean that I think people try to portray themselves or intend to have others see them in a way that is not really accurate.  Through Facebook, peple try to emulate themselves how ever they wish to be seen; but this might not be very truthful.  People form opinions about others based on snapshots of their lives through pictures and status updates, but this may not be who they actually really are.  I also think that Facebook can misconstrue words.  Since Facebook lacks verbal inflections, tone of voice, and facial expressions, many statements  can be ambiguous and therefore people may interpret them differently.  Also, it can allow people to formulate opinions and ideas about other people based on pictures and statuses that are not an acurate protrayal of who they really are.  In short, although Facebook has opened up a lot of communication, it has also brought with it many obstacles.  I too, have a Facebook, but I never post my status and rarely comment on others to avoid confusion and to remain private.  However, I have found myself forming opinions of others through Facebook.  Although I think there are a lot of uses for Facebook, such as keeping in touch and up to date with people you may not get a chance to talk to or see o na regular basis, I feel that Facebook should be used with caution and people should try to be subjective when looking at it, and remember that it is not an accurate portayal of who people really are.