Social Networking

People usually use Facebook to update their status or comment on pictures but this type of social networking could also be used in other ways. Facebook is a potential platform that allows users to spread massive messages. For this reason it is essential that we find every single way to maximize the use of this tool in order to get the greatest benefit.

 Facebook could be use as part of the police department as illustrated in the article, “In India, Using Facebook to Catch Scofflaw Drivers” by Heather Timmons. Since there is not a lot of police force in India they started using Facebook as a tool to catch scofflaw drivers by letting users post pictures of people breaking the law. This new trend appears to be effective and people are starting to obey the law now that they know they are being watched.

A major benefit that this technology brings to society is the ability to communicate with people oversees. For instance, most of my family and close friends live in Colombia. Through Facebook, I get the great opportunity to see their pictures, communicate with them and see how they’re doing. 

On the other hand, there is also a dark side surrounding this technology. Social networking is making people antisocial. People are relying on these technologies to communicate and they are putting to the side physical interaction with others.  Teenagers seem to be at the edge of this stage. Nowadays, they prefer to text friends instead of calling. According to the article “Antisocial Networking” by Hilary Stout, fifty-four percent of teenagers text their friends once a day, but only 33 percent talk to their friends face to face on a daily basis. In my head this question comes up: Do we also fall into the same statistic?

I believe some technologies will survive but upgraded platforms that will benefit us for the needs of the future will eventually replace existing technologies.