Facebook Case Study

1332 Words3 Pages

More than one billion people are registered and active on the social media site, Facebook. If you consider that roughly one seventh of the inhabitants of planet Earth use Facebook, then it is plain to see that this social networking website is actually quite influential. Recently, a lot of criticism has emerged with respect to the amount of time people spend on the website and also the extent to which Facebook can influence their emotional and psychological state. Tom Buchanan from the University of Westminster in London carried out a study about the effects of Facebook on users’ thoughts, feelings and behavior. Particularly, Buchanan was interested in the use of Facebook adverts as these have been found to have higher instances of violent …show more content…

Buchanan explains that “The first neutral advert was titled ‘Play blues like Clapton rawblues.net’ and featured a photo of a man holding a guitar, accompanied by the text ‘What you must be able to do with your guitar to create real music that wows your audience. Watch this video to find out more’. The second, titled ‘V + HD for £5 allyours.virginmedia.com’ was an image of a cable TV box with the text ‘Pause and rewind live TV and record two channels while you watch a third. Sound good? Get V + HD for just £5 a month’. The third, titled ‘Family Command Centre fambit.com’, was an image of a web calendar with the text ‘Fambit is your fridge door online: family blog, calendar, tasks, photos, reminders. Trusted space just for your family. Register free!’. The fourth, titled ‘Benidorm £89 was £189 travelzoo.com’ was an image of a holiday resort with the text ‘Save £100 on this 3-night mini break to Benidorm. Includes flights & 4-star accommodation. Get this deal by email before it sells …show more content…

Facebook is traditionally seen as a website which allows for users to upload their own content. Likewise, although it provides space for advertisers, they are responsible for their own content as well. The problem arises that if Facebook allows certain types of content, it is facilitating certain reactions. This is something that Facebook and other websites must consider as they post adverts. Although Facebook is just a portal through which people can post different content, there has to be some accountability with respect to the fact that they are hosting the content on their servers and making it accessible to

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