Critique Essay
Comp 1
October 8, 2012
Addiction with Online Communities
The amount of online communities along with users is on the rise. They are used to IM, blog, track people, live virtual lives and many other things. Is all this really necessary on an everyday basis? While some may disagree, others including Theodora Stites believe they are necessary. In her article “Someone to Watch Over Me,” Stites believes these social network sites can fulfill the need to connect with others online just the same as in person. However, she only states the positive aspects that come with these sites and fails to explain the dangers. Stites doesn’t have a strong argument given the fact that she fails to include evidence of her reasoning. Also she fails to explain the negatives that come with social networking sites, which may include becoming addicted to creating fantasies, stalking others, and putting your life in extreme danger. Stites opens her essay with a few of the online communities she is involved with. She explains how before she even brushes her teeth she checks for notifications on her sites. Stites then turns to her phone to check where people were the night before. It is her opinion that you need to search until you find the communities that best suit you. She also feels the need to continually search for new sites to join. The reason she is a part of all these sites is because she likes to connect to different people around the world. She goes on to tell how she uses IM and tracks her exes with it. The essay concludes with Stites talking about her avatar and the virtual world she lives in.
In the beginning of Stites’ article she states, “I’m 24 years old, have a good job, friends. But like most of my generation, I consistently trade actual human contact for the more reliable emotional high of smiles on MySpace, winks on Match.com and pokes on Facebook” (358). Stites believes that everyone in her generation uses as many social networking sites as she does. But not having
October 8, 2012
Addiction with Online Communities
The amount of online communities along with users is on the rise. They are used to IM, blog, track people, live virtual lives and many other things. Is all this really necessary on an everyday basis? While some may disagree, others including Theodora Stites believe they are necessary. In her article “Someone to Watch Over Me,” Stites believes these social network sites can fulfill the need to connect with others online just the same as in person. However, she only states the positive aspects that come with these sites and fails to explain the dangers. Stites doesn’t have a strong argument given the fact that she fails to include evidence of her reasoning. Also she fails to explain the negatives that come with social networking sites, which may include becoming addicted to creating fantasies, stalking others, and putting your life in extreme danger. Stites opens her essay with a few of the online communities she is involved with. She explains how before she even brushes her teeth she checks for notifications on her sites. Stites then turns to her phone to check where people were the night before. It is her opinion that you need to search until you find the communities that best suit you. She also feels the need to continually search for new sites to join. The reason she is a part of all these sites is because she likes to connect to different people around the world. She goes on to tell how she uses IM and tracks her exes with it. The essay concludes with Stites talking about her avatar and the virtual world she lives in.
In the beginning of Stites’ article she states, “I’m 24 years old, have a good job, friends. But like most of my generation, I consistently trade actual human contact for the more reliable emotional high of smiles on MySpace, winks on Match.com and pokes on Facebook” (358). Stites believes that everyone in her generation uses as many social networking sites as she does. But not having
Cited: Stites, Theodora. “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Writing and Reading. Ed. Wilhoit. New York: Longman, 2011. Print. Social networking sites fuelling stalking, report warns. Wednesday 1 February 2012. The Guardian. Monday 8 October 2012.