Executive Summary
This report explores the controversies surrounding the use of Facebook. Facebook is two-sided as it brings along many benefits as well as disadvantages. Initially, a lot of enthusiasm embraced facebook upon its introduction. The momentous benefits of Facebook covered up for the shortcomings of the media (Tratter 2012). This report aims at giving people a better realization of the controversies surrounding Facebook. The report as well realizes the benefits of Facebook. The report also aims for Facebook management to check on the privacy policies about personal information.
Introduction
The use of social media has been on the increase. There are different types of social media such as Twitter, Google plus, linked, and face nook (Tratter 2012). Facebook is the widely used social media and people use it for different purposes. Individuals use Facebook to reconnect with friends and family while organizations use Facebook to increase profits. This report explores the privacy of policy on Facebook and the controversial ethical issues surrounding it.
Overview of the Use Facebook
Facebook is currently the most widely used social media (Gayle 2008). People connect with friends and family globally through this particular media. Friends share information and update each other on upcoming events. Facebook has also made it possible to exchange pictures with people who are far away to mark memorable fun moments. Facebook helps soldiers who are on duty away from their homes to keep in touch with their families. When tornadoes hit Texas, many people lost their pets in the chaos. Later, there were photo posts on Facebook of lost pets for their families to identify them. Facebook is also a channel for people to express their opinions and views to the government. Businesses also maintain Facebook pages to connect with their customers. Customers can make their reports about faulty products or their preferences and tastes, which serves as important market information.
Recently this has proven not to be the only purpose for social media. Companies and international firms have made use of Facebook sites to promote their products and services. Advertising agencies can efficiently gather information on competitors from Facebook to come up with persuasive advertisements (Waad 2012). The recent trends in Facebook have as well been employing job seekers. It has collaborated with the department of labor to and can now connect employers with job seekers; this has a positive effect of making life easier as people do not have to move from one office to another seeking for a job.
Results and Discussions
Privacy policy and personal information
Social network Media are different in the aspects that they use to connect their users with the outside world (Gayle 2008). With some media, such as Facebook while filling in personal details one is encouraged to upload their correct personal data such as real names. Other personal information such as hobbies and interests and the status of one’s relationship reveal one’s intimate details and may jeopardize their privacy. On the other hand, social media discourage users from revealing their real identities to protect themselves. Nevertheless, even in hiding their identities individuals, there are methods of identification such as re-identifying their faces. This clearly shows that even the users using anonymous accounts are not safe. This is not supposed to be the case since social media should be able to guarantee users’ protection at all levels (Meryl 2012).
Other than updating one’s personal information, for one to be an identified user, Facebook requires that one agree to a given set of rules and policies. These rules are normally are a contradiction as they comprise of articles that allow their media operator to keep any data regarding the users. It also permits them to use the information with any other parties (Gayle 2008). In Facebook, this has made it difficult to get rid of an already created account hence storing information of a user long after inactivation of the account. Recent statistics show that a considerable percentage complain of their data being accessible to unwarranted third parties long after they have inactivated their accounts. This has allowed advertising agencies to access private information from other companies, which is unethical as it motivates unhealthy competition. This is against privacy policies regarding personal information since information is not to be assessed by a third party (Tratter 2012; Consumer report, n.d).
Facebook as a marketing tool
Facebook has evolved as a tool for marketing (Tratter 2012). Since many people use this media to connect globally, companies have made the maximum advantage out of it by advertising their products and services via social media such as Facebook and Twitter. It is through these media sites that companies display immeasurable information entailing what they deal with potential buyers. However, companies always avoid the risks involved in direct advertising and hire advertising agencies to do so. These agencies research the market trends such as purchasing trends and the preferences of potential consumers and forward such information to the companies for which they are advertising. Since there are mobile phones enabled to access internet individuals can be alerted on activities going on on Facebook. This full-time connection to social media guarantees companies the opportunity to remind customers of their products, services, or any other valuable updates (Meryl 2012).
Facebook as a social media allows companies to endorse their services and products on much more preferable at a personal level (Waad 2012). For instance, the description can be in brief messages, which the followers tend to understand. An added advantage of uasing Facebook to market a product is the fact that one can link the websites, videos, or even photographs for such products easily. When such links are accessible to clients then, it increases the chances of optimal interaction online. Such continued interaction builds up valuable loyalty with a particular individual. On the other hand, profiles on Facebook have more detailed than the accounts on twitter. These detailed profiles give room for longer descriptions, photographs, and videos. Facebook can link to combine and advertise their goods or services. Firms have successfully gained more fans from advertisements through Facebook (Tratter 2012).
Conclusion
The social media network at large is selling out personal information. This is against the privacy policy on personal information (Waad 2012). These Media have benefits of increasing volumes of sales of products and thus increasing profits in companies. However, more harm results when there is a leakage of personal information. This jeopardizes an individual and can result in acute conflicts when in the case of companies (Tratter 2012).
Recommendation
This report recommends the management of Facebook to:
- Ensure the deletion of data of an individual after inactivation of an account
- Introduce a system that tracks down advertising agencies that hack into the accounts of other companies (Waad 2012).
- Facebook should not be a source of conflict among people.
References
Consumer report. Org n.d., Facebook and your privacy, Web.
Gayle, K 2008, Buy, boycott, or blog, California University, California.
Meryl, E 2012, 33 ways to use Linkeld for business, Linkeld press center, London.
Tratter, C 2012, Social stream marketing on Facebook: a case study, New Jersey: Pearson educators.
Waad, A 2012, Social network in marketing (social media marketing), John Wiley and sons publishers, Upper Saddle River.
Waad, A 2012, opportunities and risks. John Wiley and sons, Upper Saddle River.