Social Networking: “Friend” or “Foe”? Essay Example

Introduction

Social networking has become essential in the modern world, although the utility of this integration has become debatable. It is clear that social networking has many advantages and disadvantages, both of which are a natural consequence of a fascination with and reliance on technology. Ultimately, there are those who argue that social networking is beneficial to society because it allows people to connect with one another quickly and to share information about themselves that allow communication. Critics of social networking argue that in doing so, too much information is shared, which threatens an individual’s privacy.

Sharing information over the internet using social networking sites can be both detrimental and beneficial. A major warning that critics of social networking issue is that an online profile can impact an individual’s respectability and social standing in the real world, so it is essential to be careful about what is posted (Richards 1). On the other hand, a well-made profile can attract new friends and potentially allow the individual to find a new job. Essentially, social networking is a “friend” if it is used properly, but a “foe” if it is misused. It is therefore necessary to educate the populace about social networking order to ensure that the information they post doesn’t work against them.

Background

Social networking is currently one of the most popular functions of the Internet, and it is essential to understand the history of computing to understand how and why these applications were developed. When the Internet was first turned on, its creators, Robert E. Kahn and Vint Cerf, noted that the point of this creation was for users to freely share information. It is therefore intuitive that e-mail applications and messaging systems were developed by users in periods following its implementation. Once computer knowledge evolved and there was an increased ability to retrieve high-speed access, users began to build websites and applications to communicate with one another.

Interestingly, the first social networking website was established in 1978 and is little known by Internet users today. While this site lacked the functionality of many modern social media sites, it was capable of informing friends of meetings, making announcements, and sharing information through posts. It was known as the bulletin board system (BBS) and popularized the Internet communication that many individuals still use today, although in a more archaic form (BBS News).

1997 was a year that brought about major change for social networking. Until this point, there had been relatively few advances in social networking, although the Internet as a whole was slowly evolving. In this year, blogging began, the AOL messaging system was established, Blackboard was founded as an online course management tool, and SixDegrees.com was created to allow users to find friends. Although some of this technology is considered obsolete at this point, others, such as Blackboard are currently used in an updated form. Furthermore, the AOL messaging system and SixDegrees.com served as a backbone that piqued the interest of developers, and contributed to the success of the social media sites we enjoy today.

In 2003, MySpace and LinkedIn were established. MySpace, although less popular today served as a model and competitor for modern sites like Facebook. MySpace was one of the first sites that were able to integrate a social network in a manner that allowed messaging, sharing photos, and other interests. In fact, it became a social phenomenon and many people in the 2000’s spent as much time on MySpace as they do on Facebook and Twitter today. Interestingly, LinkedIn is still used as a professional social network, although it has certainly changed since its implementation.

In 2008, Facebook became the Internet’s social media leader, although applications such as Instagram and Twitter would later become relevant as well (Rosenbush). It is clear that the social networking of the past shaped what is available to us today and this social media will continue to evolve to suit our growing needs.

Main Argument

Social networking can either be beneficial or detrimental to an individual depending on the purpose it is used for and how it is used. While many critics of social networking claim that sharing information is dangerous, it can and should be used safely. Therefore, it is essential to educate our youth about the dangers over oversharing information on the Internet and how they can continue to enjoy social networking while remaining safe. Furthermore, it is possible that social networking can be regulated in a manner that ensures its safety. Many people are unwilling to agree to current terms of agreement for use on these sites due to their apparent legal standing as owners of any information that is posted. Therefore, it is necessary to review the legality of this ownership and to determine how the Internet can be policed in a manner that protects both the rights of the people who use it in addition to the developers that build websites and applications. Ultimately, it is important for the evolution of computing to keep up with the evolution of safety in law, and this is a trend that we are not currently observing.

Works Cited

BBS News. 2004. 17 July 2014. <http://bbsnews.org/>

Richards CIL. Advanced techniques to overcome the privacy issues and SNS threats. October 2011. Web. 17 July 2014. <http://rspublication.com/ijca/oct%2011pdf/1.pdf>

Rosenbush S. News Corp.’s Place in MySpace. 18 July 2005. 17 July 2014.  <http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2005-07-18/news-corp-dot-s-place-in-myspace>