Social Networking
Social networking is the use of certain websites and applications to interact with other users or to find people with similar interests as you. In todays technologically advanced world, it is rare to not find anyone not on social media. We all use it to connect with friends or families or co workers. Jobs nowadays are also using social media to share ideas or to promote business. The internet has become a larger platform than ever, letting us do anything imaginable. Some of the benefits of social networking is instant access to information, staying connected, most are also free or very inexpensive, and are fun/easy to use. More and more celebrities will use it as a platform for their life and become more famous. Social networking is beneficial to everyone because of its ease of use and the freedom to connect for free.
Like everything else, social networking also has its "dark side." The most important one would be the issue of privacy. If you do want to keep all your information safe and sound, then you would have to delete all of your social media account. "Facebook Privacy is So Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Isn't Private" by Rebecca Greenfield talks about a privacy issue of a picture. Mark Zuckerburg's sister shared a family photo on Facebook and the same picture was shared on Twitter and she was unaware of it. When she found out, she was angry because she thought it was only visible to her friends. She was unaware that her "friends of friends" can also see her pictures unless she changed it on her settings page on Facebook.
It can also lead to cyber bullying and peer pressure, especially amongst teens. Social media is also one of the major distracting factors amongst us all. Every time we get a notification, we are tempted to be on our phone and go back to social media app. It is also a waste of time. "Social" media makes us less social because we interact so much online that we avoid actual face to face interactions. Now we face awkward social situations and immediately pull out our phone to avoid it. The article, "Antisocial Networking?" by Hilary Stout explains how teens who grew up with computers and cellphones are having a hard time reading social cues. "Even though young digital natives are very good with tech skills, they are weak with face-to-face human contact skills." This means although these teens are very good at communicating through texts and behind a computer, they can't do the same when it comes to face to face ones.
Social networking will definitely evolve in the future, so much that we won't have to travel to see a certain place or to meet anyone. With all the advanced technologies that have yet to come in the future, I can definitely imagine it. Social medias will benefit and make more profits as more and more people use it for "free." Our information and data will be used more and more. I feel like we will lose even more privacy in the future as well.
Like everything else, social networking also has its "dark side." The most important one would be the issue of privacy. If you do want to keep all your information safe and sound, then you would have to delete all of your social media account. "Facebook Privacy is So Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Isn't Private" by Rebecca Greenfield talks about a privacy issue of a picture. Mark Zuckerburg's sister shared a family photo on Facebook and the same picture was shared on Twitter and she was unaware of it. When she found out, she was angry because she thought it was only visible to her friends. She was unaware that her "friends of friends" can also see her pictures unless she changed it on her settings page on Facebook.
It can also lead to cyber bullying and peer pressure, especially amongst teens. Social media is also one of the major distracting factors amongst us all. Every time we get a notification, we are tempted to be on our phone and go back to social media app. It is also a waste of time. "Social" media makes us less social because we interact so much online that we avoid actual face to face interactions. Now we face awkward social situations and immediately pull out our phone to avoid it. The article, "Antisocial Networking?" by Hilary Stout explains how teens who grew up with computers and cellphones are having a hard time reading social cues. "Even though young digital natives are very good with tech skills, they are weak with face-to-face human contact skills." This means although these teens are very good at communicating through texts and behind a computer, they can't do the same when it comes to face to face ones.
Social networking will definitely evolve in the future, so much that we won't have to travel to see a certain place or to meet anyone. With all the advanced technologies that have yet to come in the future, I can definitely imagine it. Social medias will benefit and make more profits as more and more people use it for "free." Our information and data will be used more and more. I feel like we will lose even more privacy in the future as well.
Social networking has made its indelible mark on the world, but it is definitely up to us to ensure that we use it properly to prevent its negative effects from harming us and younger social networking users as well. Unfortunately, with the rise of the internet connected smartphone and tablet, in-person meetings are becoming increasingly rare. In addition to the weaker social skills you mentioned, there is higher anxiety when communicating as well as lower levels of creativity and critical thinking skills when expressing thoughts to the real world. This lack of face-to-face communication may prevent children from properly having a dialogue with parents, family members, or friends when adverse events like cyber bullying are happening to them. Honest talks with children about their privacy rights, how to keep personal information to oneself, and through ignoring and blocking bullies that come their way are ways to do our part in making future social networking a safer place. Lastly, a periodic digital detox may be good for all of us. Even if it is only for a day or two, our minds will become clearer and more relaxed as we refrain from checking our devices constantly.
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