Osborne, RandallAlfonso, Alexander Ray2010-02-052012-02-242010-01Alfonso, A. R. (2010). Law, politics, and online social networking (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/3285This paper focuses on legal and political aspects of online social networking which might contribute to negative societal affects. This paper seeks to answer the question, “Do online social networks contribute to illegal violations of the public’s privacy?” This study examines notions such as the permanent nature of internet content, the inverse relationship between online social networks and personal privacy, and the uncontrollable characteristics of user-generated content. The paper uses recent political debates to address prominent issues surrounding online social networks. An examination of politicians, partisan legislation, and political developments provides readers with an understanding of the political dynamics that govern legislation. Concepts, revelations, and findings derived from literary analysis are also used to conduct a real case study. By exploring two tort laws, this case study shows that online social networking can facilitate illegal invasions of privacy via the users and owners of online social networking websites.Text62 pages1 file (.pdf)enFacebookMySpaceonline social networkwebsitesDOPAHR107cHonors College