Catalyst: “Can Facebook Hurt Your Marriage?” Posted on the blog on April 12, 2011 by Casey Tesfaye The article argues: Facebook opens the door for an emotional affair The opportunity I saw in this was exploring how society perceives Facebook to be a medium which enables cheating in a relationship
Netspeak: “Social Cheatworking” Coined by online security companies as a catchy term to sell surveillance software Cheating that occurs in a relationship via social networking sites Like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.
Research Questions How many articles have been written discussing cheating on Facebook? Is the number rising? How does society perceive this “epidemic” of social cheatworking via Facebook? How are we “combating” this Facebook cheatworking trend?
Literature Virtual identity and deception Judith Donath, Lindsy Van Gelder, Shangyang Zhao, Sherrie Grasmuck, Jason Martin, Joan Morris DiMicco and David Millen Concern for how we portray ourselves online Do we show our true selves or a projected version of ourselves? Gratification and use of Facebook Brett Bumgarner, Lesa Stern, Kim Taylor, Ronald Rice, and Gail Love Why do we use these platforms? Engage socially and gather information Technopanic and Privacy Crispin Thurlow, Dan Fletcher, Rebecca Barry Hill, and Angeline Vu Fear of the unknown and releasing too much information Who is the bad guy the technology or the people using it? Literature Cyber Relationships danah boyd, Nicole Ellison, Malcolm Parks, Kory Floyd, and Joanne Wilson Can relationships be built using these medium and how real are these relationships built online? Addressing the missing link: the perceived role of these social networks on pre-existing relationships - Facebook cheating technopanic
Methodology: Quantitative Google search: Facebook + cheating Data collected in April 2011 Data parameters: September 2006 - April 2011 Facebook became open to everyone over the age of 13 on September 26, 2006
Returned 3,690 results Broken down by year and by type of cheating - relationship oriented
Data Analysis Exponentially rising, numbers doubled from 2009 to 2010 and it continues to rise considerably This year alone in the first four months there are already more articles written on this specific subject then in all of 2009
Methodology: Qualitative Discourse Analysis of Articles Type of technopanic Facebook as the cause? Prescriptive Can this be avoided? Identity on Facebook Privacy on Facebook Transparency
Qualitative Analysis 2006 - reconnection could mean cheating “ Hey long time no see…” 2007 - Facebook makes spying easy Can lead to jealousy or becoming obsessive Feeds us information - more than we may want to know Transparency of Facebook mini feed can be a bad thing
Qualitative Analysis 2008 - Personal and privacy settings on Facebook allow for cheating Makes it easier to get caught Individuals act like detectives Affairs are shorter Environment where you can meet attractive people online
Qualitative Analysis 2009 - What constitutes cheating? Emotional cheating vs. Physical cheating “ Through their limited privacy, social networking sites have become the lipstick on the collar of the digital age as cheating spouses the world over are discovered through wall posts and picture tags.” Becoming more prescriptive Be open with your spouse/significant other - avoid the secrecy Ability to create multiple identities online FacebookCheating.com created Facebook is just a medium
Virtual community surrounding “social cheatworking” on Facebook Facebookcheating.com DontDateHimGirl.com
Qualitative Analysis 2010 - Public eye Internationally - encourages adultery in women Valentine’s day became a marketable time to promote software that tracks cheating - Brickhouse Security 81% of matrimonial lawyers report massive spike in the past five years in the use of social-networking information as evidence of infidelity Dr. Boesky’s perspective is supported by a December 2009 study reported by The Telegraph and ABC News that found 20% of all divorce filings cited Facebook-based cheating among the grounds for the separation.
2011 - Created to promote social interactions Only likely that it could lead to cheating Becoming an “epidemic” Used as a tool to aid those who wish to cheat
Technopanic promoted and spread by security companies to sell software Facebook as a medium vs. the cause Rise in technopanic “epidemic” around Facebook cheating
Rise in Facebook cheating technopanic
Rev. Cedric Miller, shown here, had asked his parishioners to give up Facebook because it may lead to cheating, and admitted recently to engaging in a 3-way affair ten years ago. (AP Photo/Asbury Park Press)
Community of practice can form around virtually anything and anything virtual Technopanic stems from our discomfort with transparency We can see the “social cheatworking” so now we must deal with its reality Facebook is an extension and reflection of ourselves are we ready to deal with what we see?
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