English

Although online social networks help society by making communication and relationship forming both faster and easier, they hurt society by violating privacy, destroying social lives, and reducing self esteem. “88% of social media-using teens say they have seen someone be mean or cruel to another person on a social network site. 12% of these say they witness this kind of behavior “frequently.”” according to Luke Gilkerson, author of “Bullying Statistics: Fast Facts About Cyberbullying” (http://www.covenanteyes.com/2012/01/17/bullying-statistics-fast-facts-about-cyberbullying/). Some may argue that social networks are strictly good or strictly bad, yet the honest fact is social networks have an impact on society that can be classified as both positive and negative. People are drawn to online social networks for the basic fact that they offer a sense of intimacy along with the fact that they are extremely user friendly. For example, according to the article, “Introduction To Online Social Networking : Current Controversies” one adult claimed that when he participated in online social networks, “I began to feel a connection with those with whom I was corresponding that I seldom feel, even with people I have known and worked with for years .” He went on to say he found telecommunicating “profoundly disinhibiting” (2). The dramatic rise in social networking can also correspond to the fact that sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace “have made it only easy for unskilled users to create multimedia pages, as well as explore the depths of finding and connecting with friends old and new” (3). This means that many people find it easier to communicate on an intimate level with people on social networks than they would in a face to face conversation. Those who are intimidated by face to face conversation, or have trouble opening up to others find an ease to interacting with social networks. Modern social networks have made their sites accessible, user friendly thus those who are not up to date with the recent software can still be part of the social networking world. This shows that people are drawn to online social networks because they offer tremendous social and emotional rewards along with the fact that they are easy to access. Social networks have had a serious impact on society, both in positive and negative ways. For example, according to the article, “On Twitter, Shifting Through Falsehoods In Critical Times” by Jenna Wartham, John Palfrey talk about internet technology and its impact on society stating “There’s great power in it, but also great power for deception.” Jenna Wortham touched on the positive side of internet technology (twitter), “Twitter has also become an invaluable tool for local government, news and relief organizations, which can monitor updates and dispatches from smartphone welding citizens.” She went on to include the negative, “Deliberate falsehoods, including images showing the Statue of Liberty engulfed in ominous clouds and sharks swimming through waterlogged suburban neighbors quickly spread through the service, as did that power would be shut off for the entire city of New York and that the floor of the New York Stock Exchange had been flooded.” This means that many people with social networking accounts use these services for updates, alerts, whether it be the weather or recent news. Not only does social networking help everyday citizens access social interaction and information at a few simple clicks on a computer or smartphone, but it also helps government and law enforcement monitor what goes on. Yet false information that mischievous users promote can lead to serious problems for the public. False information can lead panic, especially during a crisis or disaster, which would do nothing but make things worse. This article basically shows that online social networks have a significant impact on society, both good and bad. On one side of the argument social networks play a key role for those who use those social networks as a way to access information (current events, weather, and business), the downfall is not all the information is true on social networks. The society we live in today thrives upon technology as a whole. For example, Travis Holum, author of the article “The Perils Of Social Media Connectivity: You Just Can’t Quit” gave a very straight forward scenario that was very accurate “Have you seen the AT&T commercial where everything is “soooo 12 seconds ago.” That’s the industry saying that if you’re not plugged in, you’re falling behind. The rollout of 4G networks by AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint has given us broadband-speed on-the-go that almost matches the speed of a home connection.” This means that society overall is moving at such a fast rate when it comes to technology. For the youth or any other people who want to be up to date with all the new technology and social networks end up coming heavily out of pocket due to the fact that the media draws them in. Opponents to my position would argue that social networks are strictly helping the society. For example one would try to support their argument by simply saying social networks are a gateway to connect everyone whether it is current events, sports, or basic updates. Jenna Wortham, the author of “On Twitter, Shifting Through Falsehoods in Critical Times”, stated “During Hurricane Sandy’s peek, Twitter was abuzz with activity, as tens of thousands of people turned to the microblogging service for alerts, updates and real-time reports and photographs of the storm.” Katrin Bennhold, author of “Generation FB”, talked on the ways social networks affected society especially the youth, “Today they use social networking to rally around the coolest band of the day and organize ad hoc parties with amazing turnout. As adults they will have the tools to rally large communities around the causes that they care about at unprecedented speed. They don’t mind small tailored ads, but abhor big intrusive ones. They trust one another more than politicians and big companies. My bet is that they will be demanding customers and demanding voters.” According to them, this means that those who have social networking accounts depend on them as a way to be connected (people, news, trending topics). Through these social networks society, especially the youth have adapted in such a way that one could say they are advancing for the better. They suggest that this shows that social networks are a great benefit for society. However, their position is incorrect, despite the fact that social networks help society and the youth connect in many ways there is also downfalls to social networks. First and foremost one can get addicted to social networks, the addiction can become more like an obsession where depending on the situation one can become either anti social, self conscious towards how one dresses and presents oneself, conduct, it can even go as far as to one doing certain things to be considered acceptable based off what society thinks. Sherry Turkle, author of “The Flight From Conversation”, has been doing research over the past fifteen years on the impact social networks and overall she said as a whole “We’ve become accustomed to a new way of being “alone together.”” She went on to say “In today’s workplace, young people who have grown up fearing conversation show up on the job wearing earphones. Walking through a college library or the campus of a high-tech start-up, one sees the same thing: we are together, but each of us is in our own bubble, furiously connected to keyboards and tiny touch screens.” A sixteen year old boy whom she conversed with due to his reliance on technology stated “Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation.” This means that social networks and technology as a whole has become more of an obsession for some people. This shows my opponents are incorrect because a social life is hard to maintain, some go out of their way and change who they are just to be considered “acceptable” by society. Opponents to my position would argue that social networks are strictly hurting the society. For example they would say the youth with social networking accounts are subjected to bullying, and those that are subject to bullying have to go through it on a 24/7 hour basis. Luke Gikerson, author of “Bullying Statistics: Fast Facts About Cyberbullying”, stated some facts about the correlation between social networks and bullying; “32% of online teens say they have been targets of a range of annoying or potentially menacing online activities. 38% of online girls report being bullied compared with 26% of online boys. In particular, 41% of older girls (15-17) report being bullied—more than any other age or gender group. 13% of teens who use social media (Ages 12-17) say they have had an experience on a social network that made them feel nervous about going to school the next day. This is more common among younger teens (20%) than older teens (11%).” Alice G. Walton, author of “The True Costs Of Facebook Addiction: Low Self – Esteem And Poor Body Image”, wrote about a new study conducted where “Facebook mad add to the body image issues that people, especially young women and girls, grapple with. Just over half of the study’s 600 participants said that looking at photos on Facebook added to their body-consciouness, and the same number said they compare themselves to others when they view photos or status updates.” According to them, this means that many people with social networking accounts see bullying and more than a quarter of the youth have experienced bullying from social networks, and if the youth aren’t affected by bullying social networking sites can make them feel downgraded by bringing down their self esteem. However, their position is incorrect, social networks has its downfall yet it can’t be strictly hurting society due to the fact that it does have a positive side. Matthew Yeomans, author of “Social Medias Crucial Role In Disaster Relief Efforts”, talked on the good the media had for society and the economy as a whole. “Media coverage of the 2005 7/7 London bombings was notable for the way journalists used citizen mobile phone footage and social media commentary to help tell a fast moving story.” One could say the age of technology and social networks set a precedent for the future, due to “this new broadcast phenomenon we know now exactly what it looks like to be swept up in a tsunami, escape a terrorist attack, live through an earthquake and even be part of an emergency plane crash landing on New York’s Hudson River.” This means that the media (Social Networks) actually helps society become aware of their surroundings which is a great thing. The debate on whether or not social networks help or hurt society is a major problem right now, which most likely isn’t at its peak yet. The society we live in today thrives on technology and these social networks have both positive and negative effects on society.

Turkle, Sherry. “The Flight From Conversation.” The New York Times. The New York Times Co., 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

Wortham, Jenna. “On Twitter, Shifting Through Falsehoods In Critical Times.” The New York Times. The New York Co., 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 1 Feb. 2013

Bennhold, Katrin. “Generation FB.” The New York Times. The New York Times Co., 23 Jun. 2011. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

Online Social Networking. “Introduction To Online Social Networking : Current Controversies.” The New York Times. The New York Times Co. 2007. Web. 1 Feb. 2013

Gilkerson, Luke. "Bullying Statistics: Fast Facts About Cyberbullying." Covenant Eyes. Luke Gilkerson, 17 1 2012. Web. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://www.covenanteyes.com/2012/01/17/bullying-statistics-fast-facts-about-cyberbullying/>.

Hoium, Travis. "The Perils of Social Media Connectivity: You Just Can't Quit." Daily Finance. N.p., 21 1 2012. Web. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/01/21/the-perils-of-social-media-connectivity-you-just-cant-quit/>.

Yeomans, Matthew. "Social media's crucial role in disaster relief efforts." The Guardian. N.p., 6 11 2012. Web. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/social-media-hurricane-sandy-emergency-planners>.

Walton, Alice. "The True Costs of Facebook Addiction: Low Self-Esteem And Poor Body Image." Forbes. N.p., 5 4 2012. Web. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/04/05/the-true-costs-of-facebook-addiction-low-self-esteem-and-poor-body-image/>.