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Friday Aug 07, 2009
Private and public identity: Social networking sites and the 'ideal me'
Today, I'm handing over my blog account to Emma C Bowler. As our Marketing and Communications intern over the past few weeks, Emma's been thinking about YouthNet's projects and issues around public vs. private social networks...Within a fast paced office with different deadlines and distinct objectives for each campaign, it's easy to get caught up in YouthNet's projects in isolation. I arrived as the bright eyed over-enthusiastic new intern two weeks ago, busy brainstorming ideas for Facebook ads to let young people know about the development version of Lifetracks.com (officially launched in November), little did I think about possible links between Lifetracks and their completed recent project tackling self harm. The former encourages young people to 'take the next step' in their career and the latter addresses mental health issues. After a few days, I gradually lifted my head out of the sand and began to wonder whether these objectives were only superficially distinct.
The advice Lifetracks can bring young people to engage and support them in getting employment and/or training will without a doubt improve the low self-esteem that is sometimes a cause of self-harm. In such a respect the aims and objectives of the projects complement one another. However, I'm going to ask – throw in social networking, and could these projects antagonise one another? Hear me out.
There are great benefits to be had from using social networking sites, in YouthNet's case, a chance to advertise their projects and engage young people in discussion. However, what about the negative effects of social networking? With constant updates on your newsfeed about your peers – where they are, what they are doing and how well they are doing – can we deny that young people might on occasion be tempted to compare themselves with their peers? How many of us would announce we've just been made redundant on our Facebook status? Or got a Third? Not many. "In what ways do Facebook users project their ideal ego, and what are the perceived effects?"
We need supportive social networking that improves the confidence of young people and widens their perspective, in turn allowing them to make informed decisions about their career. Lifetracks.com will provide this, but nevertheless we need to address how 'ideal ego' shaping that goes on elsewhere might threaten its supportive nature by influencing the activity of its members. It goes without saying that nearly all of Lifetracks' target audience will have a Facebook account and new visitors to Lifetracks.com will continue to come through Facebook ads.
I don't want to come across all anti-Facebook with regard to a young person's career. After all Facebook is the product of a young graduate having a blast at being an entrepreneur to help his fellow graduates network. Also, Twitter can be great practice for a budding journalist, practicing coming up with headlines as you tweet, rather than broadcasting what you'd like to be seen as doing. The point I've raised in this blog against social networking sites is a social phenomenon that I believe is just not being talked about enough.
Emma C Bowler
Posted by Natasha Judd ( 10:17 AM ) Link to this post Comments[2]
