Friday, September 10, 2010

Social Networking: Pros and Cons

Question of the Day: Do you think social networking sites are worth the time?


Facebook. Twitter. eHarmony. deviantArt. Tumblr. And a thousand others. These are the names of the many social networking sites that have people all over the country--and, indeed, the world--on their electronics for hours at a time. "Friend" has become a verb, and the members of the opposite sex are meeting up after being introduced to each other online. Even companies are advertising online with their own FB groups, attracting costumers by posting pictures of their products and special Sales.

There is so much that is done through the World Wide Web, and scientists are working everyday to create even more technology--electronics that are even faster, easier to use, and ultimately better than their precedessors. Better electronics means more ways to use the Internet, and nowadays the use the Internet often means the use of SNS. Honestly, I can't walk into any Lecture class 5 minutes early and not see at least ten or fifteen people Facebook stalking.

Now, I have to admit that I am one of those people who enjoys socializing online. Indeed, I also have a Facebook, and used to have a Myspace as well. And, of course, I have a Blogspot. xD But of course, everything has something good and something bad about it, not excluding SNSs. The question is, are the pros worth going through the cons?

Major Pros:
-Easier communication with friends, family, and acquaintences. You can keep up with what your high school sweetheart is up to now as well as advertise Yard Sales and other Events
-Globalization. People from Asia can talk to people from England, and so on. The sharing of each other's cultures, beliefs, and ways of living are exchanged and overall humans become more aware of what else is going on around the world and just how similar/different people of another race or culture is. These sites connect the world.
-Boosts economy in a way, what with advertising of company/individual products and online selling/buying and collaboration of businesses.
-Saves time. If you want to advertise a Birthday party, yard sale, wedding, or other event, you can just make an event and invite your friends digitally
-Critique. On deviantARt, Blogspot, etc. you can post your thoughts, reviews, artwork, and writing and gain feedback. And vice versa.
-Fast, easy, efficient.

Major Cons:
-Risk on your safety. There have been numerous incidents of people--young and old, male and female--getting kidnapped, raped, or even killed after meeting their online beaus in real life. Besides, you never know when some creep is looking at the photos you just posted of you in your bathing suit at a beach party.
-Scams, viruses, and identity theft. There's nothing more horrifying than these three things.
-You need to GAL, as in Get A Life. Sure, the people you talk to and socialize with on the sites are REAL people, but there comes a time each day where you need to go outside and play ball and smell the fresh air. Look at something OTHER than your computer screen.
-It's more likely you'll get arthritis and other hand/wrist-related injuries. But of course, you can get those not just from social networking sites but from being on the computer too long, period.
So, my lovely bloggity friends: What do you think about social networking sites? Do you think the pros outweigh the cons, or vice versa? What social networking sites do you use, and for what purpose (advertising, keeping in touch, etc.)?
~TRA
P.S. I absolutely PROMISE that my next post will not be about the digital era! =P Promise.

Share/Bookmark

5 comments:

Oh to Be a Muse said...

oh the pros definitely outweigh the cons. i have a blog (duh), a facebook, i'm on linkedin, i use foursquare on my phone (it's still a bit new to me). oddly enough, i don't have a twitter or myspace (anymore).

and i use them for networking, staying in touch with college friends and family, and sharing my thoughts of course.

the main thing is, everything in moderation, right?

http://ohtobeamuse.com

Anonymous said...

Besides a blog which will one day serve as a platform for me, I also have a Facebook which I really don't use all that often but it's there for when I want to keep in touch with people. And I'd say the pros are about even with the cons, UNLESS you spend so much time online that that's practically all you do in a day. It's just not good for your health, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

BK Mattingly said...

Hi! I found your blog through some random blog hops and I'm glad I did :) This was an awesome post. I really debate on how much social networking I should be doing. I know some people use it for their job and their family, but I've decided its best for me to keep it strictly family with the exception of a few close coworkers.

Anonymous said...

I think it depends on what you want the social sites for. If networking is your thing and it will be mine in time...I hope, then I will need to get out there and connect. Until then, I am using FB and Twitter to keep track of online friends I've made. I really don't have a mess load of them, but we chat so often that I couldn't handle more.

Also, thanks so much for commenting at my 365 adventure. Nice meeting new folks. Are you planning on participating in the 2010 NaNoWriMo?

Mori-Chan said...

You are definitely a journalist, big sister. I really enjoy reading your posts.

My mother has developed problems with her wrists due to having an at-the-computer job for the past 3 years. There is now a disease called "Texter's Thumb/Gamer's Thumb" for people who have permanently bent thumbs from texting too much or having their thumb on an analog stick too long.

I will readily admit that I am madly in love with my Deviantart account. I have proudly had it since September 2004. It is the only account that would cause my dispair if I lost it. Some technological things I find very handy. For instance - I love that phones have cameras. It's so much easier to just whip a phone out to snap a photo opportunity, rather than to recharge a camera. Most people carry their phones everywhere, so it's a great thing to have. Digital cameras are awesome, but I only ever bring mine to landmark or formal events. Other things on phones are just... stupid. I think that Blackberry(s) is/are wonderful, but there is so much STUFF on the phone that it makes it sometimes difficult to find how to set a ringtone for someone. You are totally right about identity theft. Companies are moving everything online. Most businesses won't accept/give any applications in person. Teachers store attendance in computers. Banks record finances by computer. What would happen if everything crashed and there was no back up? Sometimes I feel like technology is going to turn into a big robot and kill all of us. O_O (iRobot, anyone?)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...