“Facebook’s Online Poll Crosses a Line .” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 30 September 2009. Web. 1 October 2009 < http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-facebook30-2009sep30,0,3586130.story >.
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In the Facebook’s Online Poll Crosses a Line editorial in the Los Angeles Times, the author is writing about the controversial online user poll that was available on the networking website called Facebook. The online poll asked the question “Should Obama be killed?” The online poll, which was created by one of Facebook’s users, gave four answers that the poll taker could choose from: Yes, maybe, if he cuts my healthcare, and no. This author then states that Facebook removed the online poll after users of Facebook reported the shocking poll. The author then goes into how many death threats President Obama receives a day and how many more threats he gets compared to President George W. Bush. The author also points out how Facebook has the necessary tools on the networking site to allow users to protest such disturbing online polls like the one mentioned in this editorial. Facebook detached the online poll from the site before the Secret Service called to report the online poll. At the end of this editorial, the author writes about how users of the popular site, Facebook, should protect themselves by using the privacy options that Facebook allows their users to utilize. These privacy options allow the users who make online polls such as this one about Obama, not be able to see the answers other users give. The author is quoted in this editorial saying, “Those disclosures and connections could prove a gold mine to investigators, exposing people to scrutiny simply because a friend gave the wrong answer on the wrong Facebook poll.”
This editorial and story is very fascinating to me. I am on Facebook daily. I take many online polls on Facebook and some have to do with politics; however, I never saw this online poll and if I did I would have reported the online poll to Facebook as well. The online poll about whether or not Obama should be killed is a very alarming. It does not matter if someone is Republican, Democrat, or Independent. No one should be joking about the United States President’s life. Whether we agree with Obama’s plan for our nation or not, there are other ways to protest, i.e. tea parties and such events. When I read this editorial, I was very bothered because I feel like people in this country are not taking matters about our President and our nation seriously. I do not agree with everything Obama is trying to do as President, but like I said, there are other ways to protest and I would never think about the question “Should Obama be killed?” As far as what the author of the editorial says about the privacy options that Facebook offers its users, I have already taken those options and applied the options to my Facebook page. I took advantages of privacy options when I first set up my page. I use my page to communicate with old friends and currents friends. I think people make online polls like the one mentioned in this editorial to stir up drama. In today’s society, many people crave drama and will do just about anything to make drama around them for the attention.
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