Blog Social Networking

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 Social networking technologies have infiltrated into every aspect of our lives. These technologies are being used as a tool to facilitate communication for personal reasons, create communities of like minded people and encourage the public to take action by providing necessary information. 


Social networking platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have been used not only for social reasons, but also as a means to help improve communities. For example in the article “In India, Using Facebook to Catch Scofflaw Drivers” by Heather Timmons states that “the traffic police started a Facebook page two months ago, and almost immediately residents became digital informants, posting photos of their fellow drivers violating traffic laws.” This demonstrates how technologies like Facebook allow its users to take an active role in their communities by ensuring the safety of the residents. On the other hand, these technologies are used by business (large or small) to spread their outreach to a bigger target market. Digital marketing enables these companies to promote their brand and products while also receiving real time feedback from consumers.  


The benefits of these technologies to society is that it helps to foster relationships among its users which can be used for that individual’s, community’s or corporation’s benefit. For example the article, “Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting” by Frank Langfitt describes how platforms such as LinkedIn allow professional recruiters to easily reach out to potential applicants, but “also help job hunters market themselves online by setting up profiles, listing work history and specific skills.” This shows how social networking websites help not only businesses make the recruiting process more efficient, but also allows job hunters to put their best foot forward by creating extensive and detailed profiles. These technologies’ ability to reach millions of people instantaneously helps businesses constantly improve their operations, allows consumers to voice what is important for them, and enables small business owners to grow. These technologies also benefit communities, such as the example above in India, by providing a platform for people to come together to share their ideas, thoughts and concerns.


The “dark side” to these technologies is the obvious lack of privacy that its users have. The article, “Facebook Privacy Is So Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Photo Isn't Private” by Rebecca Greenfield discusses how Randi Zuckerberg felt her privacy was violated when a picture of her family was shared by a third party to the general public. The article goes on to state, “the thing about "privacy" and Facebook and all that, is that these photos are somewhere on the Internet, or a magically disappearing new photo-sharing app, for everyone to share, regardless of the rules.” This shows how with these social networking technologies the boundaries between private and public are often blurred which can lead to pertinent issues of privacy violations. Another “dark side” is that the constant use of social networking is leading to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and feeling of FOMO. 


In my opinion, these technologies will evolve in the future in order to accommodate for the fact that basic human interaction will rely mainly on social networking. Recently due to the pandemic, the world is mostly turning to platforms such as LinkedIn and Zoom to connect with one another and complete any necessary work. Social networking capabilities are only going to increase from this point forward. 


Work Cited:

  1. Facebook Privacy Is So Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Photo Isn't Private,” The Atlantic Wire, Greenfield, R. December 26, 2012 http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/12/facebook-privacy-so-confusing-even-zuckerberg-family-photo-isnt-private/60313/

  2. Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting by Frank Langfitt, NPR, March 16, 2008. available from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522523&sc=emaf

  3. "In India, Using Facebook to Catch Scofflaw Drivers" By Heather Timmons, NY Times, August 1, 2010, Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/technology/02traffic.html?ref=business 

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