Reaction Paper #1

Reaction Paper #1 Due Thursday 9/4 by midnight.

Read these articles about Facebook:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/32261

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/13549646.html

http://www.newsweek.com/id/32332

Pick either (1) or (2) to answer:

(1) Do you think people spend too much time on Facebook? Is Facebook time any "better" or "worse" than real-life social interaction? Does Facebook affect schoolwork any more than TV or video games? When you "friend" someone, are they really a friend? Do you know anyone addicted to Facebook (and would you classify it as a real "addiction"?)

(2) Do high school officials have a right to scour Facebook or MySpace pages to find evidence and punish students? What are the arguments here? What about students' privacy? If the page is set to private, is it any different than trying to go into someone's room and search? As a side note, should schools ban Facebook and MySpace?

You have about 500 words. This isn't as formal as a research paper, but I still expect complete sentences and grammar.

The grading of course is subjective, but the more thought and insight you put into your paper the better. If you throw it together with a lot of filler and not much substance, don't expect too high a grade. It's always good to cite examples from the reading to make your point.

You can discuss the questions there in the comments of the blog if you wish.

You can turn it in during class or email it to me.

Last thing: If you are interested in taking my advertising class, let me know and I can give you more info! We still have a few seats left (it meets right after our class).

Andy