Giselle Bueno: Do you think that Facebook has become an addiction for you?
Sinai Tirado: It is an addiction. Sometimes I find myself wondering who posted pictures of their weekends, or I wonder if a person I wrote an e-mail to responded on Facebook. It is just the quicker way to contact a person.
Bueno: The purpose of you using Facebook is to get in contact with people?
Tirado: Yes, I get in contact with friends or family out of the country, but in a way I am not as prompt to call them or send a thank you card. In a way, it distances people because (of) the technology behind it, but at the same time it brings them together because they are in constant contact.
Bueno: Have you ever been addicted to some other social network, such as MySpace or Twitter?
Tirado: I do not have Twitter, but I did have a MySpace a long time ago and it was just as addicting, but the thing that I notice with MySpace is that it was accessible to a lot (of) strange individuals and it was more prompt to have access to more people. It’s dangerous. I had a case when a male friend accepted the friend request of a male and it turned out (that) he stalked my friend. The stalker got his number and called my friend’s house and actually threatened to hurt his family.
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Bueno: Do you think Facebook is as dangerous as MySpace?
Tirado: It could be dangerous if people do not place restrictions (on Facebook). For example, when someone answers a quiz, those groups access your information.
Bueno: How do you think is the best way to protect yourself on social networking sites?
Tirado: Any social network can be dangerous because you (are) still putting your information out there. You just have to be careful and know about privacy settings.
