Blog #2: The Impact of Social Networking Sites

Whether you believe that Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have negatively or positively impacted our society, the fact of the matter is they're here to stay and continue to grow at a rapid pace. Regardless, if you use SNSs as a means for business, networking, or leisure, they have penetrated our everyday life.  As reported by Investopedia, Social Networking Sites (SNSs) is defined as “an online vehicle for creating relationships with other people who share an interest, background, or real relationship. Social networking service users create a profile with personal information, photos, etc. and form connections with other profiles.” You can cultivate relationships through sharing, instant messaging, and commenting on your contacts posts. In class lecture, SixDegrees.com was the first “identifiable” SNS. SixDegrees.com met all 3 requirements of a SNS. As time progressed, many new and improved SNSs were created. SNSs have infiltrated our everyday life, eternally bonding itself to the internet scene. SNSs have fostered an innovative way for users of all ages and different interests to connect to one-another despite time and distance.

SNSs have drastically changed the way we interact with one another and the ease at which we are able to find information, which can be both beneficial and detrimental. According to class lecture, “SNSs and Privacy Issues, Facebook and other SNSs allow users to adjust how much content others see, which can have potential repercussions (identity theft, loss of employment, sexual predators, etc.).” I often tell my own children, that I’m so thankful that SNSs didn’t exist when I was a teenager because I would not have survived. It’s so much easier to post insensitive, erroneous, or malicious material and throw it out into the interweb because users don’t think about the long-lasting effects of doing so.

 A study completed by Yun-Kyoung Cho and Jae-woong Yoo revealed the relationship between cyberbullying and perceived social support, usage of the internet, and usage of SNS among a group of adolescents, university students, and working adults. They found that “victims spent more time on the internet, engaged in online activities such as e-mailing, chatting, and instant messaging. An examination of the relationship between online activities and cyberbullying among adolescents aged 12–15 years old and frequent users of the internet and SNS were more likely to engage in, become victims of, and witness cyberbullying behavior.” The evolution of SNSs has the paved the way for many users to engage in behavior that they may not be so willing to embark on in person. I feel that it’s important to disconnect yourself from SNSs. Live in the moment to keep your mental health under control. When logging on becomes too overwhelming, log-off. Finally, always utilize your internet space to be creative, inquisitive, and to stay well informed.

References

Cho, Y.-K., & Yoo, J.-W. (2016). Cyberbullying, internet and SNS usage types, and perceived social support: a comparison of different age groups. Information, Communication & Society, 20(10), 1464–1481. doi: 10.1080/1369118x.2016.1228998

Kenton, W. (2020, March 4). Social Networking Service-SNS. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-networking-service-sns.asp

Mahood, Chad. June 2020. Social Networking. https://utsa.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_4548595_1&course_id=_175260_1