Authentic Personalities on Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site that allows anyone to create a profile with a variety of personal information and pictures. Until recently, Facebook was an online community for college students. Facebook users provide personal information such as Home town, Relationship status, political views, interest, favorite movies/music/books/quotes and a section which contains a short description of the user - "About Me" section.

Since it's creation in 2004, Facebook has experienced unprecedented growth over the past couple of years, with an additional 20,000 accounts created daily. 60% of Facebook users log in daily and some, have become "addicted". Facebook has gone beyond connecting friends! It has aided criminal investigations and college disciplinary hearings; it has been used by employers to screen job applicants. As if this is not enough, insurance companies use Facebook to investigate clients. This has raised many questions about the social networking site. Are we entering a new reality in which Facebook profiles capture authentic personalities?
Many have argued that Facebook profiles don't represent the authentic personalities of users because users might upload the most attractive photos, update the most clever thoughts on status updates, carefully choose favorite books, movies, music or quotes - all in a bid to portray rose-tinted personalities. This is not the case. According to three researchers from the University of Texas at Austin - Samuel D. Gosling, Sam Gaddis and Simine Vazire - people's Facebook profiles reflect their authentic personalities.

Sam Gosling analyzed Facebook profiles of 236 participants - all of whom filled out personality questionnaires and didn't alter their Facebook profiles (profiles were saved onto a disc before Facebook was mentioned to the participants). The researchers matched the survey results against the participants' Facebook profiles. According to the results, people's online profiles were in keeping with their authentic profiles in real life.

The researchers agree that not all online profiles match real life profiles. But for the most part, online profiles represent the authentic profile of users. A psychologist, Sam Gosling, concludes that social networking sites are simply another medium for sincerely social interactions.

Does your facebook profile reflect your authentic personality? What qualities and traits are portrayed on your Facebook profile? What about your Facebook photos? What do they reveal about you? What about your status updates? These are questions every responsible Facebook user should consider because, believe it or not, Facebook has gone over and beyond helping you connect and share with the people in your life.

I totally agree with the results of the research on the "psychology of Facebook profiles". Facebook captures the authentic personalities of most of my close friends. In other words, Facebook status updates, photos, interests, you name it, reflect the personalities of Facebook users I've interacted with in real life.

It's true that if you're a jerk in real life, you'd be a jerk on Facebook too.

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15-Year-Olds Permitted to Carry Guns in Finland

Finland is a country with a long tradition of hunting. Consequently, there're 32 privately owned guns per 100 civilians according to the Finnish Ministry of Interior. Finland has a population of 5.3 million people, out of whom 1.6 million, own guns. An international small arms survey in 2007 showed an averaged total of 2.9 million guns within a population of 5.2 million people. This is scary! A long tradition of hunting has let to Finland ranking among the top 5 countries in the world for civilian gun ownership. Until recently, gun crimes have been rare.

Three gun massacres in recent history - 2007, 2008 and 2009 have prompted politicians, religious leaders and social workers to urge tighter gun laws in the country where 15-year-olds are permitted to own guns if they have parental consent. The loose gun laws in Finland have had devastating consequences.

In November 2007, an 18-year-old went on a gun rampage at his school, in the town of Tuusula. He massacred 7 students, a teacher and shot himself in the head. His name was Pekka-Eric Auvinen. It's worth mentioning that prior to the incident, he posted a video on the internet pledging to "eliminate" those he saw as "unfit".

Less than a year later, in September 2008, a 22-year-old went on a shooting spree at a college, killing 10 people before killing himself. This second massacre caused a lot of outrage and many people (including me) wondered why the young man, Matti Juhani Saari was not stopped before he brought death to a college. He too had posted a video on the internet, showing himself firing a handgun, a few days before the killings. He was even questioned by the police, but his licence was not revoked. Were the authorities negligent? Could the police abort the massacre of September 2008? These are questions yet to be answered.

The massacres didn't stop in 2008! On December 31 2009, a gunman shot and killed 4 people in a crowded shopping centre, after killing his ex-girlfriend at her flat. This is the man!:



Ibrahim Shkupolli, raided a mall in Espoo, Finland, and killed a woman and 3 men. His body was later found at his home. The attack shocked many people who had gone shopping early on New Year Eve. It happened in one of Finland's largest shopping malls - SELLO, at about 10:20 AM.

Stricter rules for permits on pistols and revolvers were introduced in Finland after the 2007 and 2008 massacres. Handgun permits are no longer granted to first-time applicants. First-time applicants must do the following.

• Train for at least a year at a gun club
• Have a note from a doctor about their mental health
• Face an interview with the police

Are the above measures enough to stop gun massacres? Should 15-year-olds be permitted to own guns? More importantly, what should be done to stop a safe and peaceful country like Finland, from degenerating into a "gun-infested" country, famous for gun massacres? I wonder.

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Real Men Don't Hit Women!

Domestic violence refers to a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship. The people in question could be married, dating or cohabiting. It has many forms and goes beyond physical aggression. It includes threats, emotional abuse, domineering, intimidation, you name it. It is worth mentioning that though the definition of domestic violence seems simple enough, it's application varies quite significantly. Why do men hit women?

When talking about domestic violence, emphasis tend to be on women, as victims, because statistics show that women suffer greater rates of injury as a result of domestic abuse.

Last year, 2009, many cases of domestic violence were brought to the lime light - the most conspicuous being the Chris Brown - Rihanna saga. Over the years, many women have been victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, not all of the cases are reported. Celebrity cases, however, usually attract a lot of attention and media coverage.

On Christmas eve, last year (December 24 2009), one of my favorite actors - 44-year-old Charlie Sheen (in the picture above) was arrested and spent the better part of Christmas day in a Colorado jail cell. He was arrested on allegations of domestic violence and dragged to jail on Christmas morning by officers who responded to a frantic 911 call. Be rest assured, no one was hurt. An ambulance went to the house but the accuser, who later turned out to be his wife, Brooke Mueller Sheen, was not taken to the hospital.

I still can't comprehend why the "funny" star of "Two and A Half Men" would hit his wife. Keep in mind that this is still an allegation. He is innocent until proven guilty! However, according to the Aspen police spokeswoman - Stephanie Dasaro, Charlie is being investigated for second-degree assault and menacing, both felonies, along with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Charlie was released on bail ($8,500) and slammed with a restraining order. At the end of the day, was it worth it?

Sheen's publicist, Stan Rosenfield, warned that we shouldn't jump to any conclusion about the scandal. I agree. But what would prompt a "funny" guy like Charlie to hit his wife? No doubt, men frequently blame domestic violence on alcohol consumption, mental illness, their father beat their mother, love, fear, no self-control. Who cares?

When allegations of domestic violence are recurrent, as in Charlie's case, there's a major cause for concern. The perpetrator in question, needs to be stopped before it's too late. Charlie Sheen could be termed a "repeat offender" on the loose - in December 1996, he was arrested for attacking a girlfriend at his Southern California home. How many more 911 calls have to be made before he's stopped?

We can talk all day about domestic violence but it all boils down to the fact that there's no excuse for the offence. It should not be tolerated! I don't tolerate violence against women; nobody should. My wish is that survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence get help. In a civilized society, domestic violence has no place.

I'm not an advocate for divorce or break-ups. But I'm tempted to ask, why do women stay? If a man hits you, chances are he'd do it again.

I'm concerned about this subject because I know domestic violence is cowardly and the consequences are grave. Besides, I have a mother and 4 sisters! I don't want something like this happening to any of them. It's a shame that domestic violence still exists today.We need more men to stand up and challenge violence against women because REAL MEN DON'T HIT WOMEN!

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