What do Batman theater shooter James Holmes and Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik have in common? According to the German news magazine Der Tagesspiegel, both men lacked a Facebook account.
Slashdot’s summary of the German article: “Not having a Facebook account could be the first sign that you are a mass murderer.”
Though not going so far as to label non-Facebook users sociopaths, Kashmir Hill of Forbes warned that those who avoid the social media site could be inviting additional scrutiny.
“Anecdotally, I’ve heard both job seekers and employers wonder aloud about what it means if a job candidate doesn’t have a Facebook account. Does it mean they deactivated it because it was full of red flags? Are they hiding something?” she wrote.
Hill speculated that getting through life without a Facebook account might soon become equivalent to “trying to get into a bar without a driver’s license.”
While the potential professional ramifications are one thing, non-Facebook users may also face issues in their personal lives as well.
A Slate Magazine article advises readers to be suspicious of any date who does not have a Facebook profile.
“If you’re of a certain age and you meet someone who you are about to go to bed with, and that person doesn't have a Facebook page, you may be getting a false name. It could be some kind of red flag,” wrote Slate advice columnist Emily Yoffe.
The Daily Mail summarized the issue as follows: “It's the suspicion that not being on Facebook, which has become so normal among young adults, is a sign that you're abnormal and dysfunctional, or even dangerous.”
Is not having a Facebook account abnormal? Do you think it is fair that people should be judged professionally or personally for not participating in social media? Let us know in the comments.
