Facebook gives its users the opportunity to construct their identities in any of three distinct phases: anonymity, pseudonimity, or identity. My Facebook identity is readily apparent; it is not anonymous (W&S, p.63). My Facebook friends are able to attribute statements and actions to my name, but they are also able to know more about who I really am beyond the comments I make online so my identity is not pseudononymous (W&S, p.64). I reveal pieces of my true identity on facebook through self-presentation, giving my Facebook friends the image of myself that I want them to perceive (W&S, p.52). All of my Facebook friends are people I know, or am at least acquainted with. They all know, at least in part, what I am like in real life. Since I do not use Facebook to meet new people, it would be silly for me to try and distort my identity even if I wanted to. Although I don't distort my identity online, I do choose to reveal only the parts of my identity that I want others to perceive. I only post flattering pictures of myself and I only update my status when I have something I am proud of going on in my life...I admit it.

Even when I do try and mold others' perceptions of myself, the cues-filtered-out approach to communication (W&S, p.79) I take part in on Facebook sometimes gives others a "wrong" perception of me. Without nonverbal cues, what I communicate is taken the wrong way at times. Fortunately, I have emoticons to help me communicate more clearly. I am a huge fan of emoticons. They help me avoid offending people all the time. Adding a smile :-) to the end of a wall post communicates that I am happy to say what I am saying and adding a wink ;-) to the end of a wall post indicates my sarcasm.

I don't use Facebook for meeting new people because I am content with the number of people I know and prefer meeting new people face-to-face, but also because I am aware of how many people distort their identites online. Facebook allows people to present themselves however they'd like. If a 54-year-old sex predator wants to present himself as an 18-year-old quarterback, he can most likley get away with it. Our culture values the efficiency of meeting new people online, but I think it can be very dangerous. Sure, for those looking for romance, Facebook gives them many more options all in one place than they'll ever find in the real world, but is it worth the risk? It is acceptable to form romantic relationships online in our culture; this is a relatively new cultural norm. I think it has a lot to do with our cultural belief that people should be tursted until proven untrustworthy. I am not saying that it is bad to trust people, I just think the belief has let too many untrustworthy people get away with potentially avoidable crimes.

I feel that my desire to use Facebook to keep in touch on a surface level with many people reflects the individualistic culture we live in. I am concerned with keeping in touch with some of my Facebook friends simply because of how it makes me look when I know what is going on in the lives of other well-liked people. I send Facebook messages instead of making phone calls, not for the good of others, but for my own benefit; it saves me time and energy. In America, we are often most concerned with whatever allows us to best pursue our own selfish goals. If communicating via Facebook might improve our reputations or save us time, even at the expense of not brightening up someone else's day with a phone call or a face-to-face conversation, then we are usually all for it. Facebook is a great communication tool, but we must not be tricked into believing it can replace face-to-face communication.