by Natalia Jones

Created on: July 02, 2009   Last Updated: February 20, 2010

Facebook is a new age addiction that thanks to user-friendly interfaces and the spread of technology globally, has managed to work its way into the lives of grandparents and grandchildren alike. It seems like the whole world is cast under the spell of the ever intoxicating rush of information that is Facebook. Everyone from presidents to paupers can have a presence on the social networking site, and nearly everyone does.

But is your Facebook profile all it's cracked up to be? You may have created your Facebook account with the intention of keeping track of friends and family abroad, or maybe as a way of finding old friends, but have you gotten more than you bargained for?

Facebook has many negative side effects that are largely harmless, albeit annoying. The incessant stream of updates coming into your inbox bringing news of what your virtual friends are having for lunch, wishing they were doing and what they happen to be feeling and thinking is nothing short of information overload. As a matter of fact, Facebook is genius if only for the successful duping of millions of people into signing up for spam while simultaneously downloading software to combat the same problem.

While the constant drip of your friends' collective stream of consciousness can sometimes be too much to bear, this is not the real danger of Facebook. The voyeuristic trend, that is also at the heart of the rise in popularity of reality television shows such as John and Kate Plus Eight, Keeping up with the Kardashians and the like, is also at the heart of Facebook's astronomical success. In true paradoxical form it may also prove to be its major negative factor.

The evolution of Facebook forces us to guard not only our real reputations, but also our virtual ones. It may not cross your mind as you are sprouting your latest late night conquests for the world to read, or tagging yourself in a very incriminating and not at all flattering picture, that you are simultaneously projecting an image of yourself into the world. Present and even future employers may come across your virtual self and while they smile and nod at you they will also be making mental side notes that you are the peculiar fellow with that was dancing the hula wearing nothing but a grass skirt and a drunken expression in that friend of a friend's photo.

This new method of spreading information complete with pictures, videos and the comments of friends make it all too easy to be caught in an uncompromising position. Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to compartmentalize your silly wild side from your polished professional one in cyberspace.

If you insist on being a part of the Facebook faithful it is important to take the necessary precautions. You should always be weary of the pictures you post of yourself on the internet for obvious reasons. Recognize that it is not necessary or smart to broadcast outrageous opinions about yourself or others for all to read. If all else fails, try to refrain from adding work collegues as friends on Facebook and as an extra precaution set your profile so that only your direct friends can see your posts and pictures.

Facebook can bridge the distance between friends and family that are strung out across the globe, and make it easy for businesses to target niche markets but it also propagates the need to be ever careful of the information that can be attached to your name in cyberspace. You should be careful that your online reputation does not jeopardize your real world image.

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