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Theory Notes
Social Networking
In the past, due to geographical distances and economic concerns, connections between people
were limited. A social network is made up of individuals that are connected to one another by a
particular type of interdependency. It could be ideas, values, trade, anything.
Social networking has always been prevalent; it is just that in these times the face of social
networking has changed. Communication has been instrumental to a large extent to the growth
of social networking. With the advent of Internet and the cell phone a lot of social interaction is
captured through email and instant messaging.
Today there are a lot of online social networking sites where individuals volunteer information
about themselves and their social networks. Social networking allows for like‐ minded people to
interact with another.
An online social networking site is a place where a user can create a profile and build a personal
network that connects the user to other users. What used to be just a niche activity has today
taken the proportions of a global phenomenon that engages tens of millions of Internet users.
Blogs:
Blogs are also a form of social networking. They are a more one‐way communication channel as
the person blogs about their life, interests or other topics. The word blog comes from web log.
Blogging, in fact, has become so universal as a form of social networking that it has expanded into
several formats.
Microblogs:
Microblogging is a new format of blogging and is carried out on sites such as Twitter, Facebook
and Tumblr. Microblogging is when people use short and frequent posts to inform their followers
about what they are doing.
Vlogs:
Video blogs or ‘vlogs’ have become a popular video format on sites such as YouTube. The content
is the same as a normal blog but, with the added visual and audio cues, points can be presented
more coherently. This can feel more personal as the person is vocally describing their passion for
a subject.
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Theory Notes
Advantages of Social Networking:
1. Social networking gives you a chance to connect with people around the world:
One of the most obvious advantages of using social networking is the opportunity these
websites provide you to reach people from anywhere in the world.
2. This technology gives us access to easy, instant communication tools:
Social networking gives us the chance to stay connected with one another wherever we
happen to go. You don’t need to have access to a landline to call someone with this
technology today.
3. Information happens in real‐time on social networks:
Before the Internet came around, we all had to wait for the daily newspaper or the news
broadcasts on television to know what was going on in the world that day. Thanks to
social networking, one simple search is all that is necessary to access the current events
notifications that we want to see.
You can even go a step further and set alerts through your social networking profile so
that you receive notifications when a specific page has new information to review.
4. Social networking creates brand exposure for businesses:
Any type of professional organization can use their social networking presence to connect
with their current and future customers. Most platforms allow businesses to sell their
products, either directly on the social media site or through a link to the company’s sales
page.
5. Being on a social network is a lot of fun:
The average person in the United States spends between 35 to 45 minutes every day on
their favorite social networks. Some might call this behavior an addiction, but it wouldn’t
be that way if people weren’t having fun checking in with others or staying up‐to‐date on
the latest news and information.
6. This tool can help students perform better at school:
About 3 out of every 5 students say that they use social media to discuss educational
topics if they have access to the Internet. Half of students say that they talk about their
school assignments with their friends thanks to the tools offered by these platforms.
7. Social networking helps people who are shy or socially isolated to connect with others:
About 1 in 4 teens say that their experiences on social media have helped them to feel
less shy when interacting with others in real life. Almost 30% of the young people in that
group say that these encounters help them to feel more outgoing, while 1 in 5 say that
their confidence got a boost. Some kids, teens, and young adults are not as socially adept
as others, which is where the anonymity of social networking can help.
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8. The elderly can feel more connected to society because of social media:
For those in the 65 and older age demographic, which is one of the fastest growing
groups on social networks, they felt happier because of the online contacts that were
available to them because of this technology. They could talk to their family, see pictures
and video of their grandchildren.
Disadvantages of Social Networking:
1. Social networking exposes us to a lot of information.
When social networks first started, the platforms became a place of meaningful
connection. You would share videos, photographs, and letters with the essential people
in your life.
Now that there are millions (and sometimes billions) of people on a platform, there can
be a lot of white noise that drowns out these conversations. Most people tend to create
bloated news feeds with a collected group of friends and followers that contains
irrelevant content.
2. There are privacy issues to consider with social networks.
Because there is so much data sharing happening with the modern social network, the
amount of privacy that we have for the average person is shrinking a little bit every day.
The user agreements that you agree to follow when signing up for this service might even
create a license which allows the platform to use your content – including your pictures.
3. Cyberbullying and peer pressure are significant issues.
If you struggle to fit in with your group of peers, then you might feel some pressure to
behave or communicate in specific ways to feel accepted. This disadvantage tends to
impact teens and young adults the most.
4. In extreme cases of this disadvantage, the bullying and negative comments that occur
over social networking can lead to anxiety, depression‐like symptoms, and high levels of
stress. Cyberbullying makes teens and young adults twice as likely to attempt suicide or
attempt to harm themselves in other ways.
5. Social networking can become a severe distraction for some people.
When someone becomes distracted by the information available through social media, it
can take them up to 25 minutes to become focused on their original task. Do you check
your phone when you wake up in the morning? How often do you scroll through
Facebook or Instagram? The time spent on these platforms, along with the time it takes
to recover from the distraction, can cost you up to 70 hours of productive time per
month.
6. It can disrupt your sleep cycle.
When you expose your brain to electronics, then it can change the emphasis of your mind
from wanting to go to sleep to staying engaged with social media.
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Theory Notes
7. Social networking can spread false or unreliable information quickly.
When traditional media reporters were polled about their use of social media, over 78%
of them said that they used their platforms to check for breaking news. The problem with
this habit is that there tends to be a lack of fact verification before the sharing process
happens. People tend to want news that conforms with their beliefs instead of the data
being a direct observation of current events.
8. Students who use social networking too often have lower grades.
About one‐third of students say that they are on social media while studying or doing
their homework in ways that are not educationally productive. This activity reduces the
quality of their work, which often leads to lower grades.
9. Social media creates more time wasting opportunities throughout the day.
Internet users between the ages of 16‐64 said that they spend about 1.7 hours every day
on their various social media sites. That accounts for about 30% of the total amount of
time that they spend online each day.
10. The use of social networking is correlated with brain and personality disorders.
Research from the University of Pittsburgh finds that the use of social networking sites
creates a significant increase in depression and depression‐like symptoms for adults
between the ages of 19‐32.
Verdict on the Pros and Cons of Social Networking:
Social networking gives us an opportunity to quickly disseminate essential information to the
general public.
We can use social media to disarm social stigmas. It helps us to stay connected with each other,
learn about current events, and share the good things about our lives.
The pros and cons of social networking also show us that it can be used to spread hate and bully
others. It can also lead to social isolation. That’s why we must make healthy choices when using
this technology.
Social networking can be used for good just as easily as it can be used to harm others.
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