So how is social networking affecting you? Do you believe it
has zero net effect on your interactions with others, or do you believe it
plays an integral part in your personal life? Not only is social networking influencing
just teenagers and younger generations, but marketers, entertainment
industries, and general advertising is slowly accepting the fact that
individuals are moving online and are becoming increasingly connected with
their peers (http://www.buzzom.com/2011/05/impact-of-social-networking-on-our-day-to-day-lives/).
Whether or not this phenomenon is positive or negative remains to be seen,
however social networking’s effects are seen on a daily basis.
Take protests for example. No longer are protests simply invisible events, accomplished and finished forever. Fishermen in the lonely village of Idinthakarai (see picture above) are protesting a nuclear power plant by refusing to fish (http://www.tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Ws210312Koodankulam.asp). Police are attempting to get the fishermen back out on the sea to fish but the men will have none of it. Instead they are continuing to fight against the erection of the nuclear power plant by going on a hunger strike. Due to a massive social networking campaign that has been spurred by local and national media as well as people in the village itself, this event is becoming more and more public. Support slowly rises day to day as the villagers continue to strike and people become increasingly aware of the situation. Eventually, the political and public pressure may end the erection of the plant and give victory to these fishermen and their aspirations. Thus, although we may not think of social networking as a powerful tool for public action, but simply as an entertaining part of our society, many individuals worldwide view it differently. It impacts us, it impacts you, and in an increasingly connected society, this tool will become a more powerful weapon.
Take protests for example. No longer are protests simply invisible events, accomplished and finished forever. Fishermen in the lonely village of Idinthakarai (see picture above) are protesting a nuclear power plant by refusing to fish (http://www.tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Ws210312Koodankulam.asp). Police are attempting to get the fishermen back out on the sea to fish but the men will have none of it. Instead they are continuing to fight against the erection of the nuclear power plant by going on a hunger strike. Due to a massive social networking campaign that has been spurred by local and national media as well as people in the village itself, this event is becoming more and more public. Support slowly rises day to day as the villagers continue to strike and people become increasingly aware of the situation. Eventually, the political and public pressure may end the erection of the plant and give victory to these fishermen and their aspirations. Thus, although we may not think of social networking as a powerful tool for public action, but simply as an entertaining part of our society, many individuals worldwide view it differently. It impacts us, it impacts you, and in an increasingly connected society, this tool will become a more powerful weapon.
How else does social networking impact you?
8 comments:
I think social networking is becoming more of a norm in today's society. It is everywhere. Even then question you pose, "who wouldn't want to socially network?" is just one example of how social networking is becoming a means of an escape to reality. you can do or say things on the internet that you wouldn't normally do in person. It give you courage, or so you think. Really though, this need to social network all the time is taking away from actual conversations and interactions with people. We are relying on the internet to say what we feel, speak our minds.
I found it interesting that there is now a social networking site called MakeItPro which was actually created by pro athletes in order to establish an easy way of communication between other athletes and fans. Many sports fans dream of meeting professional athletes or at least having some kind of interaction with them. Thanks to this site, fans can now engage in conversations with their idols and live somewhat of what once was a "fantasy" and non-achievable life.
I believe social networking can have a positive or negative effect on our lives. In some ways it is a wonderful way to keep in touch with people that you wouldn't normally be able to stay connected with. On the other hand it does take a great toll on personal privacy. I think that the privacy issue is what is most concerning to me. I don't like the idea of people being able to track my every move and know every little detail but if they can do this I guess I am at least partially at fault.
Morgan - yes, but perhaps this is a way to empower people rather than simply using it as an escape from reality?
Caitlin - that is very true. However there are ways to block access to certain things and keeping a close circle of friends whom you trust and know is one way of eliminating this concern I think.
I think it is a great thing that social media and other means allow little things like the fisherman protest in a small village to go viral. Any protest etc cant be successful without support from outside groups and it simply wouldnt be possible without the internet and social networking. Nobody would know about it except for those involved, close by or maybe the news if/when they report on it.
As far as what Morgan said, maybe some people are like that, but I still call my friends, family etc or physically go see them and talk to them as much as I ever have. Social networking simply allows me more time to send a quick message in the middle of the night if i think of something rather than calling them or driving to their house, not as a replacement for face to face conversation.
Caitlin- I agree with you, privacy is the most concerning thing here. What a lot of people don't realize is that anything that is uploaded to the internet can't really be removed. It's very important to watch what you post to social networking sites, and I see a lot of people that aren't very careful who may not realize what they're posting can follow them.
Social Networking can be an awesome tool to bring awareness to things such as this. When used properly social network sites can do things the old fashion ways of doing things couldn't have imagined
While I enjoy social media and the ease that it brings to communication among groups of people I think that over all it harms our ability to communicate and relate to people in our every day lives. I know many friends that cringe at the thought of confronting someone to their face but would willing send a nasty facebook message. I am just not sure that our generation values building actual relationships with others.
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