Facebook: Are we known by the company we keep?

I came across an article; 'The Role of Friends' Appearance and Behaviour on Evaluations of Individuals on Facebook: Are We Known by the Company We Keep?', which explores how information presented on online forums, such as Facebook, influences the impressions people make of us. No longer are face-to-face interactions the only way impressions of people can be made. A significant shift has become evident towards online give and take mechanisms in impression formation. Additionally, the ability of individuals to post information onto other's profiles alongside an increasingly 'Googleable' world, changes the way identities are being represented, with some resulting in perceptions of identity that are not necessarily intentional.

This article brought to mind related discussions we have had about the identities we project online and how they can be used in different ways- some not necessarily in the ways originally intended. Online, people have the ability to experiment with their identity and ways they interact with others. Virtual identities may therefore differ from the ones projected in real life. Assumptions are made that these online communities are personal and private; with users therefore exercising the freedom to post whatever materials they wish. Recently however, sites such as Facebook have been utilized for other means. For example, employers are now seeking out potential employees by locating their profiles. Based on information presented; employers are making decisions on whether these individuals are 'suitable' for the job.

This raises issues, as evidence suggests that not only does the information selected by the owner of a particular profile influence the impressions made about them, but so does the contribution of information by 'friends' onto that profile. "The possibility that individuals may be judged on the basis of other's behaviours in such spaces prompts the question: Are we known by the company we keep?" Possibilities for new social communities such as Facebook to be used in these ways, forces users to re-examine the content displayed not only by themselves, but by others on their profiles. Individuals no longer have the legal/ ethical right to such freedoms without possibile consequences reflecting negative impressions being made.

The article also included a study, which found that favourable/ unfavourable statements being made on an individuals profile directly effected the impressions being made about them. Negatively valenced messaged about certain moral behaviours increased male profile owner's perceived attractiveness, whilst they caused females to be viewed as less attractive. These findings also relate to previous discussions made about how virtual, online communities reflect the values and attitudes, even stereotypes of real life societies.