Finding the Right Balance With Facebook, Online Networks
There was nothing virtual about the gathering ways to strengthen bonds. But a social network Stutzman. “There’s no
at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. But is not considered a private place. While it can depth in the relationships
the curious had come to learn more about the give people a more meaningful experience with fostered through these profile
online world, including Facebook, MySpace, those we care about, users have to be careful.” social networking groups.”
Twitter, Skype and other aspects of social net- In addition to his graduate work, Stutzman Stutzman said social
working. Fred Stutzman ’00 was there to make is the co-founder of ClaimID.com, a project that networking supplements and enhances the abil-
it all real. empowers an individual to manage an online ity of people to connect and interweave those
Stutzman’s presentation, “Making Sense of identity and avoid scams, and Freedom, an con nection levels. He acknowledged that some
Social Networking Web Sites,” covered the mar- application that disables networking on an peo ple create contacts through Facebook and
vels and pitfalls of what has become a fast- Apple computer for up to eight hours. He then move on, and some use Facebook on the
growing phenomenon. He cited a level of casual friendship that Stutz-
recent study that found that 47 per- man likened to sending an annual holi-
cent of Americans have used a social day card. Others, he said, can meet
network site, with the largest growth people in the real world and then use
in the 35-to-54 age group. And it’s Facebook to continue a relationship.
not just in the U.S. — networking Facebook makes it easy to find people
groups have become wildly popular and connect to the past.
around the world, with countries such Stutzman said people visit the sites
as Russia and Ireland having their to find out about the world around
own networks. them, so in one sense it is a form of
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“The growing popularity of social social surveillance. People can choose
networking is due mainly to the ease when to dip into an interesting group
of sharing information,” Stutzman, or topic and collect social information.
now a doctoral student at UNC’s There was one high-tech moment
School of Information and Library Sci- during the presentation. Stephanie
ence, told audience members at the Hawco, a UNC student taking graduate
October event of the Carolina College level courses in communication and
for Lifelong Learning series. “But it’s technology, raised her hand and
not just information that draws peo- announced that she was posting online
“Facebook is a revelation for some people in connecting with old friends,” says Fred
ple into the networks. Participation in reports about the session — or “tweet-
Stutzman ’00. “It gives us ways to strengthen bonds. But a social network is not
a social networking site requires a ing” — on Twitter as part of a class
considered a private place. While it can give people a more meaningful experience
person to share, rather than simply assignment. Afterward, she said Twit-
with those we care about, users have to be careful.”
access and horde information.” ter gives people a chance to practice
People use the networks to pass along what acknowledged that social networking can have concise writing. “Twitter has the potential for
they know, he said. That collaboration is an its pitfalls. One is that the public identities peo- news reporting because it forces you to write in
aspect of Facebook and MySpace that sets ple post on a Facebook or MySpace page can a concise way. You can’t tell the entire story.
them apart from simple access to the Internet. be stolen and used for questionable purposes, You have to boil it down to the essential ele-
And the degree of relationships fostered can be such as someone claiming to be a friend and ments.”
as close as those between family and friends or asking for money. He urged caution in deciding Stutzman said the bottom line in social net-
as casual as coworkers and acquaintances. who is allowed to “friend” you or have access to working for all ages is the phenomenon helps
One driving force for social networking has your page. Another pitfall is a compulsion to people know more about the world around
been reconnecting with life stories, especially over-use the Internet. His Freedom application them and make sense of that. People turn to
among what Stutzman called “late adopters,” is touted as a way to stop spending endless social networking sites for information and as a
that 35-to-54 age group. People are reconnect- hours online. way to reconnect with social families, whether
ing with former classmates or friends with Throughout the presentation, Stutzman long-lost friends or family.
whom they’ve lost touch — the GAA’s Facebook answered questions from the audience. Phil “It’s a huge field. I’m trying to make sense
site was touted during the presentation. It is a Morse worried that the sort of connections of the questions and explain the behaviors,”
way to extend one’s family and even get emo- made were superficial at best. Stutzman said. “The goal of my research is
tional support. “People need to connect, but social network- looking at how these things can be utilized to
“Facebook is a revelation for some people in ing is confusing the young as a substitute for create more supportive societies.”
connecting with old friends,” he said. “It gives us more important connections,” he pointed out to — Don Evans ’80
family additions
Kimberly A. Costello (’94 ABJM, ’02 JD) and Lee
Daniel Hamilton (’94 AB) of Greensboro; a son,
Marshall McMahon Hamilton, on Oct. 21, 2009. u
Wendy Faye Greene (’94 BSPH, ’96 MS, ’00 PhD)
and Russell Wagner Helms (’94 AB, ’97 MS, ’01
PhD) of Chapel Hill; a daughter, Mia Klovia Greene
Helms, on May 17, 2009. u Amy Kistler Lambert
(’94 BSBA) and David E. Lambert of Atlanta; twin
daughters, Ava Jean Lambert and Elyse Walker
Lambert, on July 10, 2009. u Kathleen Keener
Linder (’94 ABJM) and Jeffrey Thomas Linder (’95
JD) of Raleigh; a son, Aubrey Thomas Cuthbert
Linder, on April 1, 2009.
obituary
Donald William Wilson (’94 PhD), 52, of Tucson,
Ariz.; Aug. 31, 2009. Wilson was a research associate professor at the University of Arizona. His field
was medical imaging research.
’95 Chapel Hill participated in the panel
Emerging Voices at the 2009 N.C. Liter-
William Arthur Conescu (’95 AB) of
ary Festival at UNC. Conescu published his first
novel, Being Written, in 2008. u Paige Arden
Stanley (’95 BSPSY) of Atlanta has opened the law
office of Paige Arden Stanley LLC. Stanley serves as
general counsel to small-business owners, handles
litigation and does estate planning.
family additions
David Bailey Dixon (’95 AB) and Melissa McMurray
Dixon (’01 AB) of Vienna, Va.; a daughter, Adelaide
Elizabeth Dixon, on June 18, 2009. u Devon Onraet
Hale-Smith (’95 AB, ’99 MEd) and Todd Edward
Smith of Crofton, Md.; a daughter, Caroline Christie
Smith, on May 21, 2009. u Jeffrey Thomas Linder
(’95 JD) and Kathleen Keener Linder (’94 ABJM) of
Raleigh; a son, Aubrey Thomas Cuthbert Linder, on
April 1, 2009. u Sally Ann Gallagher Lindsay (’95
AB) and C. Marshall Lindsay (’95, ’94 AB) of
Charlotte; a daughter, Ann Marshall Lindsay, on April
16, 2009.
