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"Are social networking sites good for our society?" 1 Year, 6 Months ago
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Karma: 11
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Social networking sites, also called social media sites, are online communities that allow people to develop profiles of their backgrounds and interests, communicate with friends and strangers, and share thoughts, photos, Internet links, music, and more.
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Re:"Are social networking sites good for our society?" 1 Year, 6 Months ago
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Karma: 31
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Here are some advantages and disadvantages of social networking.
PRO Social Networking
>Social networking sites allow people to create new relationships and reconnect with friends and family. Increased communication, even online, strengthens relationships.
>Social networking sites allow for creative expression in a new medium. They provide free messaging, blogging, photo storage, games, event invitations, and many other services to anyone with access to a computer and the Internet.
>Social networking sites bring people with common interests together, offer exposure to new ideas from around the world, and lower inhibitions to overcome social anxiety. People who have a difficulty communicating in person are more comfortable interacting via the Internet.
CON Social Networking
>Social networking sites entice people to spend more time online and less time interacting face-to-face. The sites offer many time wasting activities that supplant more productive activities. Teens spend an average of nine hours per week on social networking sites (950 KB) .
>Teens growing up with these sites may not be aware that the information they post is public and that photos and text can be retrieved even after deletion. Consequences from over-sharing personal information include vulnerability to sexual or financial predators and lost job opportunities from employers finding embarrassing photos or comments.
>Social networking sites have no way to verify that people are who they claim to be, leaving people vulnerable to solicitations from online predators who are able to mask their true identities. In Feb. 2009, MySpace identified 90,000 registered sex offenders with profiles on the site, while Facebook declined to reveal how many were present on its site. Even if the sites agree to remove sex offenders, they cannot identify all of them or stop them from creating new accounts.
>Social networking sites make cyberbullying, a type of bullying that occurs online, easier and more public than bullying through other online activities such as email and instant messaging. A 2009 study found that 17.3% of middle school students have been victims of cyberbullying. Victims often experience a drop in grades, decreased self-esteem, and other symptoms of depression.
> The use of social networking sites can cause personality and brain disorders in children, such as the inability to have real conversations, limited attention spans, a need for instant gratification, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and self-centered personalities. The fast pace of the sites may rewire the brain with repeated exposure because parts of the brain used for traditional, offline activities become underused.
>Social networking sites were created to make money, not to improve peoples' lives. These websites use networks of online friends to accumulate data about people for the purpose of selling advertising. The sites place cookies on the users' computers, gather information, and track interests to show personalized ads. These advertising practices may constitute an invasion of privacy.
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Re:"Are social networking sites good for our society?" 8 Months, 1 Week ago
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Karma: 0
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I think that social networks, if used properly, can really be beneficial to the society. There is something called e-democracy and it can be a good thing that the government can reach far more citizens through the internet.
The problem lies though if they really pay attention to what they are soliciting for. People from all walks of life can now contribute and have a say on what is happening.
Though for some, social networks have been a great bulge on their way of life. Some stay glued to the computer searching through profiles and forgetting what they really have to do, which is the downside of it.
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Re:"Are social networking sites good for our society?" 8 Months, 1 Week ago
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Karma: 9
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Like everything amoral, social networking can be good or bad depending on how you use it. Generally I am pro social networking with regulations of course.
One thing that bothers me most with social networking is everything is becoming virtual, friendship, love, sex, even drinking sessions  |
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