Social Networking: Good or Bad?

Gage Stielau Comp I December 7th, 2012 Social Networking: Good or Bad? Social Networking is any way of communication through the internet medium. It has many ups and downs and in todays society it seems almost mandatory to have one, but in reality it is always your choice whether to have one or not. In this paper I will discuss The positives and negatives of today’s most popular way of communication. I will also be discussing my personal opinion towards Social Networking and give some advice for any riding the fence on whether or not to have one.

Social Networking can have a very positive influence on society. Many people who lack adequate social skills use places like Facebook to make friends and socialize. Dating sites allow for people to meet and start healthy relationships with people who they share common interests. Many social networks allow estranged friends to reconnect after many years of being apart. Pretty much any social network can be free advertising for a company that creates a page. Creates opportunities for professionals to network and cooperated more efficiently.

There are many more pros to social networking that are not even mentioned in this paper. Now on the other hand, there can also be many negatives to getting your own social networking page. Without proper knowledge of privacy settings, all of a person’s personal information can be known by anyone who is accepted as a friend on Facebook or follows you on Twitter. Anyone can be practically internet stalked by someone who has mediocre internet skills. People are also less caring about what they say due to a feeling of anonymousness.

People also feel distanced from friends on Facebook so they think that there will be no repercussions for their internet activities. It also allows bullies to follow their targets no matter where they are in the world. The bully’s tools are now handheld in the forms of cell phones. Social networks also lead to less active lifestyles. Most people think if they can communicate with their friends from the comfort of their own homes, then what is the need to go outside? Also social media is a source of wasted time. This wasted time can lead to a lack of productivity in an office setting.

Many colleges check to see your social networking history, so that means one wrong post can lead to a rejection letter from your top school choice. The negatives may outweigh the positives in many different aspects of social networking. In my opinion, social media is awesome is and has helped our society in a number of ways. But don’t get a social network because someone told you to, do it because you want to. Always make sure make smart choices on social media and practice safety my activating privacy features. So in conclusion, I feel that social networking has many ups and downs, but I feel the positives tower over the negativity.