The Web networking site Facebook.com is transforming the social interactions of today’s students.

By Marion Franck

As a parent, you know that something new has entered the culture when your college-age children use language you don’t understand.

“My R.A. friended me!”

“Jessica poked me.”

“Did you read what’s on Evan’s wall?”

These mysterious phrases spring from an Internet phenomenon that, in less than three years, has changed friendship in college. It’s a social networking site called Facebook.com.

Like better-known myspace.com, Facebook encourages young people to post “profiles,” thereby creating their own Web page where others can read about them, send e-mail, post messages (on their “wall”), send brief greetings (a “poke”) and request to be listed as a “friend.”

Photographs abound, not only the ones students put in their “albums,” but also photographs posted by others that, if “tagged” with the student’s name, can be viewed on the student’s profile.

Many students share a dazzling amount of information, which frightens parents because we imagine that future employers will visit the site or that the disciplinary arm of the university will watch for illegal activity.

WHO BELONGS?

The developers of Facebook wanted to create communities where young people could connect with others at their own college simply by typing in a name.

The name brings up the profile, which can include hundreds of photos, the names and photos of dozens of friends, lists of groups the student belongs to, favorite musicians or activities, party plans, personal statements about the student’s philosophy and—in a variety of places—humor. Students can also list their moment-to-moment “status,” indicating whether they’re on line, in class or sleeping.

Most students share this kind of information, which comes up automatically if students seek others on their home campus, but a student at one college can view the profile of a student at another college only by asking permission. Statistics suggest that permission is usually granted. As of spring 2006, Facebook was reportedly the seventh most accessed Internet site, with 7.5 million members.

At UC Davis, students estimate that 80–90 percent of their classmates maintain a Facebook profile, with men and women participating in equal numbers. High school seniors often sign up for Facebook as soon as they choose a college, and many establish a network of friends before setting foot on campus.

Establishing one’s identity and creating a supportive circle of friends are two important developmental tasks of young people. Facebook is so helpful in both areas that students admit it can become addictive.

WHY IS IT SO ATTRACTIVE?

Kate McDaniel, a plant science major from Orland, says that she resisted Facebook for a year because she saw how much time her friends spent on it. But when she landed a sophomore position as a resident adviser, she signed up. “All my residents were on it,” she explains, “and they kind of peer-pressured me into it.”

Roberto López, a fellow resident adviser from Monterey who is majoring in psychology and Spanish, echoes McDaniel’s experience, “For most people at UC Davis, you either have a Facebook profile or you’ll have one soon.”

McDaniel and López discovered that they could connect more easily with their residents by reading about their interests and following up in person. McDaniel likes to send brief, friendly greetings. She also tracks the activities of old friends, or friends who are traveling, via Facebook.

“Often when I’m going to bed and I want to wind down, I’ll just look and see if anyone has talked to me. A box of six friends pops up, and it’s like, oh, I haven’t talked to Josh in a while, so I’ll send him a message.”

She also travels the site looking up people she meets in class or at social events. “I feel I can learn a lot about people—not enough to judge a character, but to get an idea of a person based on what their profile looks like.”

A trip to a friend’s profile may also yield the names of people with similar interests, leading to further correspondence.

McDaniel knows, however, that face time is still more important than Facebook. “Facebook can make relationships more fun or stronger or continue to let them grow, but it can’t be the basis of a relationship.”

Facebook can also be used in practical ways. One sophomore reports that when she and her friends were advertising for roommates, they checked Facebook. “Some people actually posted pictures of themselves drinking,” she says, and because she and her roommates wanted non-drinkers, they didn’t interview them.

Facebook can also help with course work. “I use it to get in contact with people quickly for group projects,” says McDaniel who also notes that her typing skills have improved.

TOO MUCH FACEBOOK?

But occasionally, McDaniel concedes, Facebook and academics don’t mix. “Sometimes I really am embarrassed at the amount of time I spend. Especially if I get back a midterm, and I didn’t do so hot. . . . How many hours did I spend on Facebook that I could have spent reading the textbook?”

Students know that a few people go too far with networking sites, not only spending too much time, but also asking for dates using Facebook or hiding behind technology to make unkind remarks that they wouldn’t dare utter face-to-face.

Students need to be aware that not everyone’s motives are pure. A classmate can obscure his or her identity by using another person’s computer to send messages, and a bunch of students can compose a message together—usually in fun, but not always. And there’s always the risk of being contacted by someone who is up to no good.

LOOKING FOR BALANCE

Like everything on the Internet, Facebook is a mixed bag. Students can “friend” each other for silly reasons, like trying to outdo each other in numbers of friends. They can waste hours tweaking their profiles. Some reveal too much.

But students can also use Facebook wisely to make contact with each other around shared musical interests, books or sports. Many students build friendships more easily when they communicate both in person and on line.

Even faculty members find value in Facebook. Andy Jones, a lecturer with the University Writing Program, notes that when students create profiles they spend a lot of time crafting their prose and thinking about rhetorical issues such as “audience” and “style,” often without realizing it.

Graduating seniors can maintain access to Facebook by establishing an alumni e-mail account, and many students can’t imagine a future without it any more than their parents can imagine the demise of e-mail.

As a parent, you may never be a participant in Facebook or any other social networking site, but if you stay informed enough to know that Facebook is neither all good nor all bad, neither completely safe nor completely risky, if you recognize that it both requires and teaches good judgment, your student will appreciate your knowledge and support.