14 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FACEBOOK - TECHNOLOGY - 2024

Among the main advantages and disadvantages of Facebook are the possibility of connection with people around the world and the addiction that it can generate in users. Facebook is a social network that was born in 2004 and was created by Mark Zuckerberg.

Currently Facebook is the social network with the most registered users: it exceeds the amount of 2.2 billion registered people worldwide. This massive reach implies both advantages and disadvantages and, above all, a lot of responsibility that falls on those who lead this multi-million dollar company.

Currently Facebook is the social network with the most subscribers in the world. Source: pixabay.com

Some of the biggest challenges have to do with user privacy, data misuse, and tackling dangerous scenarios, such as harassment and bullying.

Despite this, this social network continues to be very popular thanks to the benefits it offers to its users, such as the possibility of networking and exposure opportunities for small entrepreneurs.

Advantage

It's free

To access Facebook it is only necessary to have a computer or a mobile phone and an Internet connection. Although these items can be expensive, the platform itself is free, making it easy for many people to access.

The free status of Facebook makes it possible to democratize the content that is published there. Information consumers can access a large amount of data categorized according to user interests.

On the other hand, content creators have the ability to make their information visible to a large number of people; If Facebook were not free, the reach it offers to its advertisers would not be as wide.

Provides the possibility of connection

Thanks to the great scope of this application, Facebook allows the option of connecting with very diverse people all over the planet. In this way, it is possible to maintain contact with known people regardless of the physical place where they are.

Likewise, it is also possible to connect unknown people who have characteristics in common.

This is so thanks to the amount of data handled by the platform, as it allows each user to indicate their interests related to various areas; all this data facilitates the encounter between people who have common elements with each other.

This possibility of connection is also beneficial in the work and educational spheres, since a space for interaction and exchange of information can be created that can be constructive and enriching.

For example, Facebook is a way through which people or companies offer products or services to their potential customers. Likewise, it can also be the ideal setting for collaborations between people or companies with similar objectives.

It is a fundamental tool for entrepreneurs

Being one of the platforms with the largest number of registered users in the world, in recent years Facebook has become a very useful tool for entrepreneurs of any field, especially for those who are starting their projects.

The platform offers the possibility of publicizing a product or service thanks to the great visibility it provides to its users. It is possible to reach the ideal consumers quite quickly, and show up to them in a timely manner.

The data that Facebook has related to users can become so detailed that it is increasingly easy to directly address the target audience; in this way it is possible to scale a business idea in a relatively short time.

In addition to the organic options offered by the platform, it has also made an ad serving system available.

Under this modality it is even easier to reach the desired audience, since Facebook facilitates the creation of advertising campaigns that have a high chance of being specifically shown to people who may be interested.

In this way, Facebook guarantees that advertisers are satisfied with their investment, and at the same time ensures that the user experience remains as pleasant as possible, avoiding that a nonsensical barrage of advertising is a reason to stop using the application.

Low costs

One of the reasons why this advertising tool is ideal for new entrepreneurs is its costs. Taking into account both the great visibility to which advertisers are exposed and the possibility of carrying out a fairly successful audience segmentation, advertising on Facebook is quite economical.

Of course, there are strategies that work better than others, and anyone who is interested in advertising on Facebook should research and train to understand very well how both the platform and the digital consumer work, and thus be able to get the best out of their investment.

Can be beneficial in classrooms

Facebook is present in practically all areas of life, and education is no exception. There are various initiatives focused on using the platform in a constructive and educational way, in order to take advantage of its full potential.

For example, a group of students together with their teacher can create a Facebook page where they share information about assignments, general advice on study skills, special event planning, and even entertainment items related to the content the students learn. students.

Since Facebook pages are open and visible, both students and other teachers and representatives can join.

Likewise, in this way it is possible to share with young people from other courses, from other cities and even from other countries. This well-structured strategy can transform the educational experience into something much deeper and more rewarding.

Polls

Another Facebook functionality that can be useful in the classroom has to do with surveys. This platform allows users to develop surveys on various topics and monitor the results as they are obtained.

These types of tools can be very helpful in subjects related to social sciences or statistics.

It can be a good informative medium

In addition to user profiles, on Facebook it is also possible to access well-known media profiles. In this way, the platform becomes a space in which current information or opinion is shared with news and immediately.

The most relevant news are usually widely shared on Facebook, so it is possible to be aware and updated in relation to the most important information that is generated on practically any field.

At this point it is important to emphasize that Facebook is not an informative or journalistic medium, since the content that can be found there is published by any of the platform's users.

For this reason, it should not be considered that everything published there is legitimate or newsworthy; it is necessary to verify the source of the information before considering it true.

Personal album

Although you may not have realized it, Mark Zuckerberg's invention functions as a kind of personal album / journal. You just have to go into the option of "photographs" to be able to observe your whole life in snapshots.

The option of "videos" was also introduced (in recent months the option to broadcast live has been gaining strength), something that is establishing itself as a powerful alternative to photographs.

Discover the person you were looking for

Have you ever been unable to find an old friend or classmate that you lost contact with on Facebook?

Considering that this social network has more than 2 billion users, there is a high probability of finding the person you are looking for.

Entertainment

One of the main functions of Facebook, along with keeping us connected, is to entertain. You will be able to access an infinite number of games, be it about sports, cinema, music, history, science, etc.

Disadvantages

It implies loss of privacy

Perhaps the most notable disadvantage of Facebook has to do with the loss of privacy. Users expose a good part of their personal information on the platform (from identification data to personal photographs or videos), which allows it to be accessible to people with bad intentions.

That said, it is important to emphasize that many privacy elements can be configured by the user in search of greater protection of their data.

For example, it is possible to configure who can publish and / or access a user's profile, as well as who can contact them through their email or the Facebook platform itself.

Likewise, Facebook has made available to users the possibility of receiving a notification if unusual behavior is perceived in their profiles.

However, despite the control that users have over these and other settings, it is clear that a large amount of personal information is exposed on Facebook that can create a vulnerable scenario for users.

It can be the setting for him

Bullying or bullying has also found a place on Facebook. Given the immediacy in the delivery of information, this platform can be a very damaging mockery space: the spread is fast and reaches a large number of people.

Data obtained from studies carried out at Brown University in the United States indicated that young victims of teasing, harassment and bullying on Facebook are more likely to become depressed. The same study determined that the majority of subjects had at least one negative experience on the social network.

Faced with this situation, Facebook has sought to implement strategies that give users a little more control to prevent the spread of malicious information.

That is why they have launched the Bullying Prevention Center, developed in conjunction with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, which intends to offer advice and resources to adolescents so that they can cope with these unpleasant situations.

Generates addiction

It has been proven that the use of Facebook, as well as other social networks, can be addictive. The platform has had such an influence in the current social environment that for many users it is unthinkable to stop being present there.

This behavior has been amplified with the rise of mobile phones, because it is possible to access the social network more easily, without having the need to have a computer.

This implies that many people stop interacting in the real world and focus on interacting through a screen, which leads to poor socialization. This is especially worrisome when observed in children and young people, as it can imply that they learn to relate socially in this way, leaving aside the real experience.

It is an ideal space for scams

Since users share so much personal information within the platform, scams and fraud can result. For example, there have been numerous cases of identity theft that can lead to kidnapping and other fatal consequences.

Facebook profiles feed on the information given by the users themselves, so there is no guarantee that what is published there is true.

In this sense, lately it has been common to find people who take the identities of others and use these profiles to deceive and spoil third parties, or even to damage the image of the person whose identity they are usurping.

There is so much information that users share that in many cases it is not enough to configure the account in the safest way possible, since there will always be a way to access the data and use it for the benefit of the person who steals it.

There is a positive aspect: there are countries that consider this type of action a serious offense that can be punished by law; among these countries is Spain.

May promote antisocial or narcissistic behavior

The University of California carried out a study through which it was determined that the indiscriminate and excessive use of Facebook - as well as other similar social networks - can generate antisocial behavior in users.

This is reflected in the fact that there is no valuable world outside of what happens within the platform. When interacting through a screen is given more importance than sharing socialization spaces in the real world, it is very likely that people isolate themselves and develop a closed and not sociable personality.

Likewise, the possibility of sharing their own photos and videos can lead adolescents to develop an extremely narcissistic personality. It also tends to generate very low self-esteem, entirely dependent on the reactions of other network users.

The fact that on Facebook it is possible to respond to posts with “likes”, “makes me angry”, “saddens me”, and other statements of this kind, motivates some people to relate their own value to that given by others.

Computer virus download

Many of the publications of dubious origin are usually loaded with computer viruses, which are intended to make the user's system vulnerable and gain access to obtain information.

This is why it is essential to avoid downloading content that is suspected of origin. Likewise, in the presence of any type of doubtful information, it is necessary to report both the user who publishes it and the content itself, so that it stops spreading so quickly.

References

1. Mejía, J. "Social media statistics 2019: users of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, WhatsApp and others" (2019) in Juan Carlos Mejía Llano. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 in Juan Carlos Mejía Llano: juancmejia.com
2. "What are the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook?" (2018) in Shout me loud. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from Shout me loud: shoutmeloud.com
3. Syed, A. “5 Facebook privacy settings you must now for your safety: 2019” in Shout me loud. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from Shout me loud: shoutmeloud.com
4. Bolton, N. "What Are the Disadvantages of Facebook?" in It still works. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from It still works: itstillworks.com
5. Viñas, M. "Facebook for teachers: How to use this social network in the classroom" in Totem Guard. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from Totem Guard: totemguard.com
6. "Safety center" on Facebook. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from Facebook: facebook.com
7. Veliz, J. “Facebook against bullying: the social network empowers the user” (2018) in RPP Noticias. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from RPP Noticias: rpp.pe
8. "5 good reasons to include the use of Facebook in the classroom" at Universia. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from Universia: noticias.universia.cr