Interview assessment

I interviewed Mr. Nghiem because he is a first year college student who uses both facebook and twitter. He also happens to be very opinionated and descriptive about his thoughts making it easy to understand him than it is other people.


Juan Carlos Ulate: Which do you prefer Twitter or Facebook? Why?

Viet Nghiem: I do like Facebook better, but perhaps only because I've had more time to use it. Heck, it even has includes the same 'main' feature of twitter. That is, you can 'shout' what you want to other people. I think the distinct difference is that since Twitter makes these sporatic, nonsensical shout-outs to nobody in particular the showcase, it seems that much more important. Facebook, on the other hand allows a whole lot more interaction with people you choose to interact with. I think the viral YouTube video "The 'Twouble' with Twitter" really sums it up (in a rather satirical manner). You're basically just shouting into the internet and hoping that someone finds your random thoughts and musings about lunch interesting. No, I don't need to know about how rude the cashier lady was to you today, nor do I need to know how adorable your fwuffy-wuffy snoogly-woogly dog is. Yeesh.

JCU: For what reasons do you use Facebook and or Twitter?

VN: What, people don't just use things things to follow a trend? I'm (almost) ashamed to say that's why I even made a Facebook account. In the end, though, I keep using it because it's a way to interact with people I know and meet. It's a sort of 'level' of aquaintance with a person, like how you might add someone on facebook but not give them your phone number, or you might give them your phone number, but really only text them, etcetera etcetera. I suppose it's up to the degree of your personal... world? (I can't find a term that fits it right) that you're allowing them to enter. Facebook adds another layer.

JCU: What is your favorite thing about these sites?

VN: Since I'm particuarly biased against twitter, I'll just keep going on about Facebook. Facebook, in a way, lets you be almost-kinda-friends with someone. People go "okay here's how I'm going to describe myself in terms of pictures I post up, in terms of what I list as my "faves", in terms of fun or practical applications, in terms of how I'm commenting on other people". They say that, and on a certain level expect the same thing out of your facebook page. I think it boils down to "Facebook is a way of describing yourself to others without all the awkwardness of having to actually describe yourself to others. Here's all the shit I do and like. Ya wanna be my friend???" (Admittedly, Facebook allows me to compensate for my unrefined people skills).

JCU: Have you ever felt like your privacy has been compromised by using these sites?

VN: I don't think that my privacy is violated, per se. I very well know that I'm putting information on the internet, for cryin' out loud. It's like putting up a personal billboard on the side of the world's busiest interstate. People are voyeuristic on the internet, it's just the unpersonal and faceless nature of the web. Anyone using a social site should take heed of the fact that they're doing things and passing out things and saying things where anybody could find it if they looked hard enough. I mean, there is a whole internet subculture of finding people's personal information or emberassing materials and mocking them mercilessly. I'm not justifying being a creepy internet stalker, but people should always be conscious of what they're gonna put up on that giant billboard.
JCU: Would you ever consider discontinuing the use of these sites?

VN: Recently, Facebook made some visibly unpopular changes to things like their image and privacy policy as well as their data-gathering algorithms (they use information you put on your page and the apps you use to 'market' specific ads to your IP adress and facebook account). Specifically, a policy stated that any image uploaded by Facebook could be used by the company, effectevly saying that they 'owned' them. I know that a lot of people use Facebook to showcase their photographic work, and this was a serious problem in terms of "hey wait a minute, you're not allowing us to keep rights to our work simply because you're hosting our images?" Personally I found it offensive that they thought they could use user-made work as a way to make revenue. I think they did indeed adjust that by-law, but if they ever tried doing something like that again, I would definitely quit Facebook, or at the very least remove my work from it.

JCU: Would you say that Facebook distracts you from school work?

VN: Oh man, when DOESN'T it distract me from my school work?