Facebook important yet often dangerous, says NE professor

By Taylor Jensen/reporter

It is important to realize how powerful recreational writing is, an English associate professor said Oct. 14 on NE Campus.Stacy Thorne raised the question, “What does your Facebook status really say about you?” during a student seminar.

The majority of people have an account, and it’s important for students to know if they are making a difference with their own, Thorne said.

“Facebook gives you the opportunity to publish to an audience,” she said.

Students have to consider what kind of writing they are doing outside of class, Thorne said.

Facebook can offer advantages such as building and maintaining relationships, entertainment and information sharing within the community, she said.

“The great thing about Facebook is distance doesn’t matter anymore,” she said.

Society is in a social revolution, and people can use Facebook as a tool not only to communicate with others but to bring people together for a beneficial purpose, Thorne said.

In contrast, she also provided the disadvantages of Facebook. 

Bullying, stalking, decrease in productivity and Facebook addiction are all common realities of Facebook use, she said.

Thorne asked students if their Facebook friends were really their friends and where they drew the line of accepting Facebook friends onto their personal pages and, subsequently, into their lives.

“You should think literally about your security and the messages you are sending out with social media,” she said.

Thorne said students should use Facebook to its full potential and understand the power of each word they write.

“Even though what you say may be controversial, you can find a way to be diplomatic and say how you feel,” she said.

NE student Earl Alzner said that, in general, people don’t like confrontation and, therefore, tend to bottle up frustrations.

“Facebook is a good way to get things off our chests as we as humans need to do,” he said.

Thorne said that if used correctly, students can make great accomplishments with the aid of Facebook.

“Literacy is a technology,” she said. “People who can learn to read and write have power.”

The event was part of Rhetoric for the Rest of Us, a series of talk seminars.

The talks are designed to benefit English 1301 and 1302 students, and similar events are scheduled on NE Campus in the upcoming weeks.