The social network

Luca Zerafa, B.A. English and Communications (Hons), first year.

Have online social networks revolutionised student interaction?

Despite my communicating with other students almost exclusively through Facebook, I contemplate deactivating my account just about every day. To me, Facebook was just an improvement on Hi5; however, I soon realised that, in fact, it is an extension of my life.

The main reason why I want to commit social network suicide is because it is so addictive and such a waste of my time. Instead of being informed about someone just buying a new pair of shoes or another (usually multiple people) exclaiming that they are bored to tears, I could be talking to corporal beings, studying for my exams, and doing generally more productive things.

Despite these distractions, I use Facebook every day. I am on Facebook right now. I might still be on Facebook when my status can truthfully claim ‘...is 70 years old!’ It helps me keep in touch with my friends and colleagues; most school events are planned on Facebook and so, without it, most of us would be quite lost (especially at the start of the scholastic year).

The only thing I dread is a time when we all start thinking in terms of Facebook: to a few, not having a Facebook is equivalent to not existing. Man lived in the country, man lived in the city, but I do not think man was meant to live on the internet.

Sandro Rizzo, B.A. French and Italian, third year.

What do you think about lecturers who have a Facebook profile?

I have never found a problem with lecturers having a Facebook profile, as long as they keep it private and do not add their students.

At University level, adding a lecturer as a friend on Facebook can blur the lines in student- lecturer relationships.

If a lecturer uses Facebook as a means of communication with his students, he can either do so via a group, which does not require the members to be friends, or by creating a separate account for academic purposes.

Then again, if it is a visiting lecturer who is only staying for a year, adding said lecturer after the end of the term is fine, provided they do not mind.

Having students as Facebook friends can sometimes be detrimental, because in some cases, private information, such as photos and marital statuses, can be easily broadcast in an unhealthy way, thus putting the lecturer’s career at risk.

This is obviously a worst case scenario but, as the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’.