How the Movie "Catfish" messed with My Mind

This past weekend I saw the very disturbing movie “Catfish.” The main premise of the film is that the internet, specifically Facebook, has the power to convince us of a particular reality, when in fact the ideas and images exchanged, despite their ability to evoke strong emotions in us as humans, may in fact be complete fabrications of the truth. Does the presentation of a fictitious virtual world as true make the author a liar? This question has left me feeling not just perplexed, but also intrigued.

Since watching the movie I’ve been thinking about Facebook in general and how we present ourselves in the virtual world. It’s not that I think most people are using Facebook to purport to be someone they are not, but it has also made me wonder if most people consciously consider how accurately they present themselves virtually and to whom they grant access to this wealth of information.

Are you curious? Take a minute and google a name (including maiden name if applicable) surrounded by quotes then + Facebook and possibly a city. The search results indicate what everyone with internet access can see. If you have someone’s Facebook log in information you can go directly to the Basic Directory Information section of the Privacy Settings and preview the profile as others (anyone in the world) see it. If you are surprised by what you see, you might wish to take some time to review privacy settings not only for your own Facebook account, but those you care about as well- including grandparents, children and teens.

Early this summer, Facebook began phasing in new privacy setting options in order to allow Facebook users to significantly curtail information shared on their site. This is good news- but only for those who actively seek out and make changes to their accounts.Where should you start? First, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/privacy/

and review the settings. Default settings are set to allow everyone on Facebook access to everything posted- birthdates, lists of relatives, photos of friends, all pictures, contact information, even photos posted by others in which you are tagged etc. Therefore, if you have not explicitly gone to the privacy settings and made changes, the default settings prevail.

However, basic privacy settings, although a good place to start, give you only limited control over who has access to information on Facebook. Do all of your “friends” really need equal access to all information, photos etc. you post? Probably not. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it slightly disconcerting to walk into work Monday morning and have colleagues comment on photos I posted on Facebook of my kids’ weekend sporting events. Instead of being forced to “de-friend” people, simply spend some time organizing your friends into lists of groups such as “High School Friends,” “Work Friends” and “Family” and then grant access accordingly. At the same time, if you have teenagers at home you should be aware that even though your kids may have granted you “friend” status, you may have been categorized as I have described and therefore not have access to all of the information and photos about and of them posted on Facebook.