The Effects Of Social Networking On Humanity

There are many effects on society due to social networking. Where would we be without social networking? In these next few paragraphs, we will find out how social networking has an impact on us from authors with experience. From that, I will point out major points in social networking from this class. Finally, I will provide my thoughts on everything I explained and if I agree with these authors or have some light of my own to shed on social networking. Social Networking realistically is a part of everyday life, just how much it really is, is yet to be determined.

Begins to discuss how we have different groups and/or networks. We as humans tend to group our friends and family one way and coworkers/acquaintances another way. The source of networking became available in 2004 and it was called Facebook. Many people took to it once they realized they were able to keep in touch with loved ones and friends. Facebook is a complete hit. According to statistics, “Our Products empower more than 2 billion people around the world to share ideas, offer support and make a difference” (https://about.fb.com/company-info/), but that didn’t happen overnight. The more people got into Facebook the more it was updated/changed to accommodate the people’s wants and needs. When Facebook first began in 2004, it was simple but could have been a bit challenging to understand if you weren’t big on networking. Facebook became big and took over Myspace and Friendster which really started the networking world. So, what you have read so far you can see Facebook has the capability to connect with others. You have many avenues to choose from such as status updates when you are out and about, the capability to connect with others, reading newsfeeds from friends and social groups you may have joined. There is also an activity log which is a list of all your posts/memories that Facebook reminds you about. In 2012 Facebook updated the search queries. It is a tool to help enable users to find friends who may have visited a place or likes on a specific topic. One thing to keep in mind with Facebook is that everything you do on there is visible to all your friends and family. You should try and be discreet especially if your coworkers are on your “friends” list as well. There is an option to control your settings and who and what can see what, but it is still good to have control and mindfulness when posting about things on Facebook. Now that we know Facebook is a hit, we should keep in mind that Google+ gives Facebook a run for its money. Google+ has the capability to do just similar if not the same things as Facebook. One major difference is that Google+ members are at an increased chance of interacting with strangers or people in different countries. Now that we know some insight into social networking and the different types let’s take a look at what a few other resources have to say about it.

Now let’s look at some of the demographics of social networking. We know that not all social sites are created equal in the sense that although they are meant to interact for instance Facebook you connect and put status updates. Pinterest, on the other hand, focuses on pinning ideas or sharing boards created. Still a means of interacting but more of an indirect interacting. According to statistics city dwellers are more likely than those in the rural area to be on twitter. Then there is the fact that women are 5x more likely as men to use Pinterest. Lastly, another interesting statistic is that blacks and Hispanics are more likely users than whites on Instagram. This information is shared and researched by Bruce Houghton and was published on March 26, 2013. Also looking at this article we see that the younger demographic is more likely (86%) to be using social networking sights compared to the more seasoned generation that may not use it as much (35%). Seeing these numbers aren’t too surprising to see. There are some statistics that show how education and networking work, meaning who and at/around what timeframe and age we see these young adults entertain the idea of networking.

So now that we know a bit about the demographics of social networking, we are going to take a look at some of the pros and cons of social media from the article “Reading Eagle” by Mike Urban (Fitzpatrick; O’Boye, Milevsky, Dana German, Albright College Chief Technology). It is amazing some of the things we see people post on Facebook. It can and should be considered things that should really be kept in a diary but since we live in a free world and people have the right to a free speech well that is just what people see on Facebook. Not to start on a negative note let’s take a look at some of the pros to networking. Sometimes having a way to communicate and make friends is easier on a computer verse in person. It is also a sometimes-good avenue to use if you are looking to go on a date with someone. It allows professionals to network their business more easily. One of my favorites that are mentioned in this article is that we can reconnect with old friends we may have lost touch with years ago. Now that we have read some of the pros let’s take a look at some of the cons as well. A downside, unfortunately, is that it’s a hacker’s paradise. It is a gateway to identity theft if you don’t protect yourself properly. Another issue could be we lose human contact and connection when we resort to online interaction. It can also cause marital issues with discreet conversations and connections that your partner may not know you are having. You could lose your job by posting inappropriate things such as photos that aren’t the most tasteful. They can bring on some very nasty conversations that could even turn into cyberbullying and even a possible suicide. Lastly, one of the most important cons of networking would be the fact that people spend more time sitting at their computers verse being outside exercising or enjoying life.

These articles and information provided through chapter 7 are spots on hitting when it comes to social networking. Since I am military of course I thoroughly enjoy being able to video chat with my mom and dad and for them to see their grandchildren. I get to see my brothers, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces with a click of a button. To me one of the most important things about Facebook is the fact that I can keep up with all the things I am missing out on since I am in a different country i.e. my nephews moving and grooving, my brothers going on his honeymoon with the love of his life. These things I don’t get to be there for I have that opportunity through Facebook. Now, there is always a downside to a good. In my opinion, based on the information provided in previous paragraphs I believe that the younger generation is spending way too much time on social media. Everywhere you go there is a phone in a kid’s hand. I am friends with younger and older people, but the younger ones seem to find it necessary to post every five minutes. Another point to piggyback on the younger generation is cyberbullying. There are people on Facebook that don’t like or believe people should have an opinion. That is a problem, everyone has the right to post what they want (good or bad) without feeling fear and being scared to go to school the next day or worse that their life doesn’t matter. Everyone though not just young or old shouldn’t spend so much time on Facebook there is so much more to life than a status update or a selfie that needs to be posted. As mentioned above I agree that this is a huge advantage for hackers and identity theft, they can find anything they want especially if it is not protected by you. So, my thoughts on all of this are this, connecting with people is awesome and a blessing to some you just have to be mindful of what and where you choose to post things.

In closing, I wanted to recap a little about how Facebook came about. It all started in 2004 and grew to become a huge success especially up against Myspace and Friendster. Through the years Facebook made upgrades/changes to make it more user-friendly. We learned that the older more seasoned generation is more likely to use Facebook. We learned a little bit about the demographics and the different groups of people and networking sites that people are attracted to. Then we learned about some of the pros and cons such as reconnecting with old friends or using networking as a dating opportunity. We also learned that networking can be a dangerous thing and an easy avenue for hackers. There has also been an increase in cyberbullying or the fact that people are spending too much time behind computers rather than socializing and/or face to face interaction. Lastly, I gave my thoughts and opinions on how I felt about social networking. I mentioned I liked the networking for me personally due to being in the military. I don’t get to see my family as often but thanks to Facebook I have the capability to do so. I enjoy being able to connect with old friends from high school and follow up on friends who have become family to me and have had their own families. I am not a fan of how many people spend so much time on a computer verse face to face interaction. That is just my opinion though. Some people are more comfortable with behind the scenes communication and for them, that works. I don’t like that there is so much cyberbullying, which has led to Facebook live suicides. Facebook should be a place to express yourself without feeling judged.