Only Mass Murderers Don't Have Facebook Accounts

 A German newspaper reported that those who don't have Facebook accounts are deemed a little suspicious, possibly because mass murderers James Holmes and Anders Breivik both didn't use Facebook.

A quick translation of the Der Tagesspiegel article via Google Translate showed that the article actually said that researchers find abstaining from Facebook is a little strange -- and U.S. employers think that, too. "No Facebook profile, no job offer," according to Der Tagesspiegel. A psychologist also mentions that 75 to 80 percent of human resources employees are on the social network, so to them, not being on Facebook may mean job applicants have something to hide.

The German report stemmed from coverage of suspected gunman James Holmes who was accused of gunning down dozens of people at an Aurora, Colo. movie theater last month, leaving 12 dead. Holmes reportedly had no Facebook account, and neither did Norwegian mass murderer Breivik who killed 77 last year. The report went on to state that both didn't seem to have friends in real life and it was reflected in their largely inactive online presence.

Forbes picked up on the German report,  but Kashmir Hill  pulled out the American bits with plenty of opinion: 

There are people who choose not to be Facebookers for myriad non-psychopathic reasons: because they find it too addictive, or because they hold their privacy dear. . . It’s expected that everyone is on Facebook in some capacity, and that a negative assumption is starting to arise about those who reject the Big Blue Giant’s siren call. Continuing to navigate life without having this digital form of identification may be like trying to get into a bar without a driver’s license.

We believe that nothing on the Internet is truly private and that you should only put out there what you don't mind being shown to your boss or your mother. So if you need to be on Facebook to prove you're normal, use caution.

 
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