Social Networking and You
Derick Sweat Jr
Professor Remollino
English 1301.055IN
Social Networking and You
As defined, in the Webster’s dictionary, social media is: forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos). In short, Social media are Internet sites where people interact freely, sharing and discussing information about each other and their lives, using a multimedia mix of personal words, pictures, videos and audio. Examples of some sites are Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr to name a few.
Social Networking started back in the 1970’s with the BBS. BBS, short for Bulletin Board System, these online meeting places were effectively independently-produced hunks of code that allowed users to communicate with a central system where they could download files or games (many times including pirated software) and post messages to other users. By the 1990’s, internet had boomed into something amazing. CompuServe, one of the first internet service providers, allowed members to share files and access news and events. It also offered something few had ever experienced – true interaction. Not only could you send a message to your friend via an e-mail, you could also join any of CompuServe’s thousands of discussion forums to chat with thousands of other members on virtually any important subject of the day. Those forums proved tremendously popular and paved the way for the modern “posts” we know today. The internet continued to evolve into what we know of it now.
Now while everybody has their own opinions of social networking, I for one think it is a great advancement in technology. Social networking has its ups and downs but the benefits outweigh the bad. The “opponents of social networking say that the sites prevent face-to-face communication; waste time on frivolous activity; alter children’s brains and behavior making them more prone to ADHD; expose users to predators like pedophiles and burglars; and spread false and potentially dangerous information”(procon.org). While these are some good points, the bad can be filtered out by simple training, in both adults and in children, about internet safety in general. It is also believed that “Students who use social media had an average GPA of 3.06 while non-users had an average GPA of 3.82 and students who used social networking sites while studying scored 20% lower on tests”(procon.org). Also according to the U.S. Department of Education, English literacy among college graduates has declined in the past 10 years to 31%, while just a decade ago it was 40 %( Rifkin 426). This may be true but, parents of younger children need to monitor the usage, while older adults will learn from mistakes. If we can educate at a younger age, we might be able to change these statics for the better.
The great thing about online social networking is that it provides an easy way to keep up with friends and family. If you live a busy life, it can be difficult to keep in touch with everyone and still get everything done that needs your attention. Online social networking allows you to add people as friends so that you can easily keep in touch with them. On the other side, it’s also a great way for busy adults to meet their significant other and let the world know about it.
Social networking has always been a great business asset. Just think back to the number of jobs and business opportunities you learned about from friends and colleagues. And online social networking is no different. Social networks like HYPERLINK “http://webtrends.about.com/od/profiles/p/Linkedin-bio.htm” LinkedIn are designed around the business aspects of social networking and are being used more and more by HR departments to locate talented employees. Are you LinkedIn? It’s also used for business advertising, about 93 %( Pick).
Let’s not leave out the fun factor. Entertainment has always been at the core of the social networking experience, and as social networks become more sophisticated, there is a huge potential for having fun while socially networking. Facebook is quickly becoming the platform of choice for casual gaming. With the ability to easily manage having a chess match with a friend even if they live halfway across the world, it is easy to see why Facebook games are so popular.
So as you can see there are numerous good things that come from social networking, I just named a few. There are also bad that come from networking but I believe that with proper education and giddiness, the internet can be a safer place. Social networking is not going anywhere. It will be here tomorrow and years from now. So are social networking sites good for our society? Yes they are!
Work’s Cited
Rifkin, Jeremy. “Virtual Companionship.” The Little Brown Reader. Twelfth Edition Ed. Marcia Stubbs and Sylvan Barnet. Glenview, IL: Longman, 2012 426 Print
ProCon.org. “Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?” ProCon.org. 5 February 2014. Web. 12 February 2014.
Pick, Tom. “101 Vital Social Media and Digital Marketing Statistics.” Social Media Today.com.
6 August 2013 Web. 14 February 2014
