People use Facebook everyday. They log in just to see who wrote on their wall or left them a message. Facebook also has a great search feature so you can find anyone who has a facebook account even if you are not friends with them. The first thing im sure most users do when they log on is answer any outstanding requests they may have such as a friend request.
So imagain one day you log in and you have a friend request and it is someone you have never met but they have searched Facebook, found you, and for some reason they friend you. When you go to answer the friend request many questions go through your mind. Should you or should you not accept them? Thats a hard decision when you don't know the person. However, what if this person has your same last name? Maybe somehow you could be related? What do you do?
I ask this question because recently my roommate came to me and told me about her cousin who was friended on Facebook by a boy with their same last name. She accepted the request to find out that this boy search Facebook for people with his last name. Both the boy and my roommated cousin became curious as to whether they were related. They began talking through Facebook and found out that they are cousins. He lives in Rome where some of her family is from. They have continued to talk to find out more information on the family relationship. They also plan to use Facebook to stay in touch with one another.
This story goes to show how computer mediated communications can be a great thing. You could contact a part of your family you might not have known about or you never thought you would talk to and you can get in touch faster and easier with people from across the world. Also in my electronic communications class we have been discussing how people rely and use CMC so frequently these days, that when my roommate told me this story about how her cousin met their cousin on Facebook, she was reading the story from a message on Facebook that her cousin left her.
Although this story of friending people on Facebook and accepting friend request does have a happy ending, there are instances where friending someone and letting them view your information my be harmful. I would like to hope that people use communication through CMC the right way and not for the wrong reasons. So if you go searching for a friend maybe make sure to leave them a message of why you are asking them to be your friend or about who you are.
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2 comments:
Yeah, i've been there, random people from my highschool who i never talked to in another grade friend me, and usually i think for a secont if i should accecpt or not. I actually accidentally friend requested a person mistakenly for someone else. It happens. But i like how facebook has came through for atleast one person. nice story
I completely agree. I use facebook and AIM all the time to keep in touch with family and friends from home. Without it, I'm afraid I would loose contact which would put a strain on the relationships. I definitely agree with friending someone on facebook and writing a little message as to why you are asking them to be your friend. Too many creepers!
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