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What is a limited profile on facebook?

Internet Psychology and Sociology: What are the consequences of having a limited Facebook profile?

  • If one limits their Facebook profile (for example: a single profile photo and scant info on their about page), are they risking potentially destructive consequences for their social life? If we deny people the ability to learn much about ourselves through our Facebook profiles, are we making it easier for them to judge us as weirdos or recluses? Has Facebook really become powerful enough where a lack of personal photos (and information) on a website is a sign of deviance or abnormality? Are we really living in a world where people are entitled to see "at least 4-5 photos" to pass sound judgment about others? What do we think?

  • Answer:

    You asked specifically about social life, rather than professional or academic image, so I am going to answer this question within the context of making friend, family and possibly romantic connections. I'm also answering this from the perspective of an older person (mid 40s) who forged her social connections well before social media came on the scene, and who was already reasonably mature and aware of the implications of posting certain photos or words on a profile before she ever started using Facebook. A Facebook profile can certainly provide insight about a person, enough to know whether that person is worth reaching out to via a friend request or other. And many users, even old and "mature" people, seem unaware (to varying degrees) as to the overall "takeaway" -- or perception -- revealed by the sum total of their Facebook activity. For example, a lot of Facebook users, especially the middle aged, give off an desperate "midlife crisis" vibe through their thinly-veiled boasts ("Just finished a 10 mile hike and now I'm covered in mosquito bites!"), fancy vacation pics etc. Others are fond of posting "profound quotes" or silly cartoons so much it makes you wonder if they ever have an original thought. Then, of course, there is the overly embarrassing stuff: drunken antics, angry posts, pity posts, attention-seeking glamour shots, horrific spelling and grammar etc. But for every bad FB image created by these types of posts, there are hundreds of the less obvious variety like the ones outlined in my previous paragraph. I think it's smart, for the average user, to have a limited public profile. This way, you can control who will see the activity which YOU might think is OK, but which might give off a negative impression to people you are trying to attract as friends. In my experience, it's tricky to control what stays private and what stays public on Facebook. Recently, my Quora activity started showing up on my FB feed without my express permission (I think it was because I originally signed up here via FB), and that fell into the "not OK" camp. (I don't want certain people to see how much time I spend here.) Sure, showing a little more of yourself to the public may be socially beneficial, but I don't think a limited profile will hamper you too much, and it may actually work to your advantage by attracting people curious to learn more.

Caroline Zelonka at Quora Visit the source

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I will provide a fairly parsimonious answer.  By not having a Facebook profile you limit yourself in two ways: People who have a Facebook profile get more opportunities to develop their identities.  Those who chose not to have a Facebook profile simply lose this ability.  All of us have a desire to show ourselves to the world on our terms.  Facebook and other social applications give you this ability.  Having an opportunity to accentuate our positives can be pleasing to all of us (e.g. you are a voracious reader and so you show all of the books you've read in a Kindle App).  Or, getting the opportunity to present oneself to the world in ways that you see fit is also something that is of benefit to us (e.g. you see yourself as cosmopolitan, and so you join groups that discuss travel, and you put pictures of places you have been on your profile). People who have a Facebook profile get to develop more weak ties.  There is strong empirical evidence that shows that people who use social networks develop more connections with casual acquaintances.  These weak ties can turn into access to jobs, opportunities, or just cool info.  In some cases, those weak ties can turn into close friendships.

Rod Graham

The basic assumption in this question is that everyone HAS a Facebook profile. Well, firstly, there are still loads of people who consciously CHOOSE not to be on Facebook. These could be FB dropouts, like Richard Careaga, who's already answered this question, or educated, otherwise online people who prefer to be private in their personal and professional life. (as I recently heard someone put it). Having said that, let's move over to the question. Consequences is the word that interests me most in this question. Consequences can be both good and bad, and I will try to focus on those relating to social life.  Lets see the good first: 1. Privacy: The world doesn't get to know what you ate last night for dinner, where you went shopping, your weekend plans, etc. So if you are a person that values privacy, and don't care if others are interested in this, a limited profile (or none) is for you. 2. Time saved: Looking at the number of hours people spend on Facebook, that's a no-brainer, I guess. If you maintain a limited profile, there's no rush for you to keep updating it also. (Sorry, I don't have figures or links for this) 3. No distractions: For a short while, FB was blocked at work. And honestly, my productivity went up drastically. :) Socially, one has the ability to concentrate on what you are doing, rather than running to check your updates every half hour or so The bad: 1. Today, the world forms opinions about you by seeing your online activity. If this is limited, your online friends might just forget about you 2. Attention-span is also limited to your updates, links posted maybe a couple of days back (actually both points could be combined, but would currently leave it as is) 3. New and prospective friends / partners would not be able to get much information from your profile. This might not encourage them to make progress on your relationship. 4. You project an anti-social image of yourself. In the rush to update every single event, if someone prefers not to do that, the perception of others (especially the below 40s) would be astonishment and puzzlement, clear lack of understanding of your pov. Of course, all of the above is IMO, so feel free to comment, or write on my wall, where I'll catch you soon enough, if I'm not on Quora! ;)

Smriti Bhargava Kingsley

if the very idea that not having a profile on fb of any scope or scale somehow even correlates with a negative perception of your identity, then I encourage you to take a very long, hard look at the role the internet plays in your own life and maybe rethink what you're trying to do with it, or the kinds of people you're taking stock in (figuratively) it is just a website, nothing more.

David Carpe

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