Megan Christiansen Anth204 September 18, 2008 Facebook “Beep Beep”, the sound of a text message. Someone must be needing something from you or wanting to chit chat. But no it is a message from Facebook. Saying the significant other in your life has changed her status from “Go Cats!” to “It is a good day in the neighborhood”. What does this say about our culture? Does American Culture really want Privacy? Is Gossip more important than privacy? And does Facebook change relationships? Many people especially teenagers and young adults say they want privacy and that they don’t get enough space. Going around and surveying teenagers you will find out that 8 out of 10 of them would say that they value having their own space and privacy. In many ways they are contradicting themselves. Yes, American culture loves to have privacy, but at the same time we like to know all the gossip and all the juice. Just by having facebook set up that you can put what you are doing every moment of everyday on your status shows that maybe we are not all that concerned about the value of space. If you are willing to have everyone know what is going on with your life on the internet, then maybe Americans ideas on privacy are changing. Facebook is a factor in this change. Gossip: idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others. (www.dictionary.com) Gossip and Tabloid magazines make millions; we have a channel designated to the latest Gossip news that is on 24/7. Not only is that the only channel that has news about celebrities and the new fads, now are local channels like Fox4 and NBC have started covering what is going on in the life of a celebrity. Facebook is feeding into this frenzy of having to know everything about everyone. Yes, facebook does not show what “Brangelina” are doing but it does show what your best friend is doing, who your ex. Is dating and the latest drama in the lives of those you know. When the news feed shows up “Bobby is now single”; that in itself is allowing people to know the private things in your life. Facebook is just another way for us to know what is going on in the world of others. Not only is facebook changing the ideals of privacy, and feeding into American’s obsession of gossip, it is also changing are relationships with are friends. Instead picking up your phone to call an old friend to see what is new in her life all you have to do now is login into facebook and look at their wall; right in front of you is her major, her top friends and all the information you could have gotten from calling her. Are Culture is all about the fast and easy way and facebook and the internet in general is in the same category as fast food, one hour photos, and online shopping. Yes, facebook can help you keep in contact with people, but the relationship changes from a real life relationship to a facebook conversation relationship. Facebook all together is changing Americans ideas of something’s, like privacy but at the same time is feeding into many other concepts like the fast and easy way is the best way and the obsession of wanting to know all that is going on in those lives around you.