The thought of this essay is somewhat, well, horrifying. It's as if the semester has provided so much information and now, in under 1000 words, I'm supposed to express what I make of that information? Fortunately, a few of the possible essay topics have provided me with a lot of food for thought :)
Being a member of Gen Y and a Facebook addict I found both the third and fifith essay topics the most appealing. The third being 'Why is privacy such a contentious issue for internet users? Discuss with reference to at least ONE social network service (or other web2.0 service)'. I found this particularly appealing because I can certainly relate to the issue and the information I would hope to find if I began research on the topic, would in some way benefit me and highlight privacy issues I may be unaware of. I would certainly focus on social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, but also delve further into the issue and also explore less renowned social networking and web2.0 sites.
If i choose to focus on the fifth possible essay topic, 'How do social media change our understanding of individual identity, with regard to the kinds of people we have in our social networks', I would focus again on social networking services and the way they have altered the definition of a 'friend'. For example, you may have ten people you went to high school with who, in reality, you would consider your friends. However in the virtual world it is very possible and common to have over 1000 friends and if your Lady Gaga, over 5 million. But would you consider one of those 1000 to be a friend just like one of the ten you went to school with? This is how social networking sites are changing what we consider a friend and to me, this is extremely interesting.
After contemplating the two topics I have considered, I find it likely I am to choose the fifth essay topic and focus explicitly on the way in which social media change our understanding of individual identity.
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