Facebook Home - "Friends above everything else..." - Reality Check

What should kids be aware of with the new Facebook Home?

In a recent article by Common Sense Media they highlight the ins and outs of the Facebook Home capability for select mobile devices.  The "always on" social media device makes it even easier to get updates, chat and post to Facebook without ever opening an app.  Great for Facebook, maybe there will be an upward tick on their stock price...  For kids however, this may be a different story.

Facebook's own slogan for this feature, "putting friends above everything else", should set off alarm bells for schools and parents that allow teens to use mobile devices regularly.  Common Sense Media points out that there may be a distraction factor.  Do you think?!?  Well, YEAH!

Reality Check - Who are your "friends" anyway?

It is not uncommon for teens to have 100's maybe even 1,000's of "friends" on sites like Facebook.  Now those people will have unfettered access to your attention.  It is time to stop and redefine what "friends" really are.  I doubt that your favorite brands are really your friends, or what about that guy who asked to be your friend and you just clicked ok, or what about your boss and casual co-worker acquaintances?  Are they really your "friends"?  Do you want them to be a part of your "always on" experience?

At a recent symposium on Social Networking, Dr. Sameer Hinduja suggested that schools embrace social media with some exceptions.  Do not embrace it blindly.  One fantastic idea is to have a Social Media cleanup day where all students and faculty cleanup their social media accounts.  Delete ridiculous posts, remove unnecessary contacts and truly "cleanup" their social media image.

If we are moving towards being "always on" in a social media world, it may be time to be very conscious of the identity we put out there.

Is it a bad thing?  

It is hard to say that having an easier experience with your social network would be bad for you.  It will definitely take getting used to and it will require more discipline to decide "when" and "where" it is appropriate to use it.