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Robert Bialecki Professor Jones English-247, Critical Writing 17 December 2009 Social Networking Sites and Society Ten years ago, if you had asked someone what a social networking site was, you probably wouldve received a blank stare and a Huh? In the last decade, social networking sites have skyrocketed in popularity. In a nutshell, social networking sites were created so that people could use the Internet to interact with their friends and with people from all over the world. But the question is: Do social networking sites benefit society? Personally, I feel that they do. And to further answer that question, my report will focus on whether or not social networking sites are safe to use, whether or not social networking sites provide the same opportunity for personal growth and development as face-to-face networks, and whether or not businesses can benefit from social networking sites. Are social networking sites safe to use? This question can be controversial. In my opinion, yes, they can be safe to use. But in order to safely use social networking sites, people need to exercise caution, responsibility, and good judgment. First, lets take a look at the reasons why some people feel that social networking sites arent safe. One reason is that scammers and hackers use these sites. In his article, What are the Pros and Cons of Social Networking Sites?, Jonathan Strickland mentions that these people know how to trick other users into downloading malicious software. A popular method of doing this is called social engineering, which plays on human nature to get results. Suppose a friend sends you a link to a video, and after clicking that link, you are instructed to install a video player in order to view that clip. When you install that

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video player, you may actually be installing malicious software that can harm your computer. After the scammer has infected your computer, he or she will try to spread the malicious software by using your friend list on the social networking site (Strickland). The potential for identity theft is another reason why some people feel that social networking sites arent safe. According to ProCon.orgs article, Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?, Cybercriminals can gather information to be used for identity theft from social networking profiles, such as birthdays, pet names, mothers maiden names, names of children, and other details often used in passwords and security questions (ProCon.org). A third reason why some people feel that social networking sites arent safe is that what you post on the sites can be used against you. In her article, Facebook Friend Turns into Big Brother, KJ Lang provides a good example of this. Recently, a 19-year-old University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student accepted a friend request on Facebook from a stranger. However, that stranger actually turned out to be an undercover police officer. After discovering pictures of the student in possession of alcohol on his profile, the officer cited the student for underage drinking. The La Crosse Police Department has cited at least eight people for underage drinking due to photos posted on social networking profiles (Lang). After reading the aforementioned counterarguments, you might be wondering why anyone would want to use social networking sites if all these bad things can happen. Fortunately, these counterarguments can be prevented. In their article, Staying Safe on Social Networking Sites, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers some important tips about how to safely use social networking sites: Dont post too much personal information about yourself. Omit things such as your address or information about your schedule or routine.

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Keep in mind that your contacts can see everything you post on your social networking profile. Take caution when dealing with strangers. People on social networking sites arent always who they seem. You may want to limit the people who can contact you or view your profile to friends only. Dont share personal information with strangers or agree to meet them in person. Be aware that not everything you read online is true. Make use of the privacy settings on social networking sites. These allow you to decide who can contact you or view your profile on a social networking site. Choose a password that people cant easily guess. Carefully read the privacy policies on social networking sites. Install anti-virus software on your computer. Be sure that the software is up to date, as new viruses are continually being created (U.S. Department of Homeland Security). As you can see, social networking sites can be safe. Like I mentioned before, people just need to exercise caution, responsibility, and good judgment. Do social networking sites provide the same opportunity for personal growth and development as face-to-face networks? They certainly can. Although youre typically alone and in front of a computer screen while visiting a social networking site, the people youre interacting with are actual people just like you. Strickland mentions that people can use social networking sites to keep in touch with their friends and reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. The sites allow users to organize events and invite friends to them (Strickland). ProCon.org notes that in addition to connecting with their current friends, people can use social networking sites to make new friends who share the same interests as they do. Also, people who

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are shy in person often find social networking sites to be a more comfortable form of socialization (ProCon.org). Social networking sites also offer their users many applications. Strickland states that You can find dozens of applications ranging from games to quizzes to restaurant review programs. On a site like Facebook or MySpace, you can challenge your friend to a game of trivia even if shes on the other side of the world! (Strickland). ProCon.org mentions that messaging, blogging, photo storage, games, and event invitations are only a few of the services that social networking sites have to offer (ProCon.org). Social networking sites can also assist people with their personal endeavors. Strickland notes that even if youre not looking for a new career, the opportunity to help a friend may arise. Perhaps one friend needs a service performed, and another friend performs that service for a living. In this case, all you have to do is introduce them, and you will be helping out two friends at once. Also, actors, musicians, and writers use social networking sites for promotional purposes (Strickland). According to ProCon.org, Sixty million Americans received help with major life issues (changing jobs, finding a new place to live, buying a car, and caring for someone with an illness) from people in their social networks in 2006 (ProCon.org). ProCon.org also notes that some social networking sites are designed for specific purposes, such as people who are suffering from illnesses or substance abuse. People can use these sites to meet others who are going through the same thing as they are. They can also use these sites to gain information, contacts, support, and encouragement (ProCon.org). The counterargument to this is that social networking sites are known for their addictive nature, which results in people spending more time on social networking sites than they do with their face-to-face networks. ProCon.org states that Social networking sites entice people to

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spend more time online and less time interacting face-to-face. The sites offer many time wasting activities that supplant more productive activities. Teens spend an average of nine hours per week on social networking sites (ProCon.org). In her article called How Computers Change the Way We Think, Sherry Turkle, Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, mentions that when people overuse social networking sites, it may become difficult for them to portray their true selves. They may become too inexperienced in sharing their real feelings with others. These media allow the illusion of friendship with the commitments of actual friendship (Turkle 258-259). In response to Turkle, I feel that her statement may just be speculation. I personally know people who have over 1,000 contacts on Facebook and update their statuses several times per day. I dont know how much time they spend on Facebook, but I do know that they are able to maintain close personal relationships with those in their face-to-face networks. In response to ProCon.org, while social networking sites can be psychologically addictive, they arent physically addictive like alcohol or tobacco, for instance. People who find themselves to be addicts of social networking sites just need more structure in their lives. They should consider putting in more hours at work, going to school, doing volunteer work, or simply making an effort to focus more on their face-to-face networks. Can businesses benefit from social networking sites? Absolutely. According to an Ecommerce blog called Grow Your Client Base with This Tip, the Dell computer company had earned over $3 million in revenue after two years just by using Twitter (Ecommerce). Ecommerce also notes that Many companies use this facility [Twitter] to announce the sale of a particular item to good effect. Calls, e-mails, and messages come in almost immediately after an update is made (Ecommerce). In an article called Small Businesses are Taking Tentative Steps

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Toward Online Networking, Mickey Meece mentions that More than 260,000 North American businesses currently use social networking sites to promote their businesses. The sites are efficient and free, which is especially important in and economic downturn, as [business] owners scramble for new customers (qtd. in Small Businesses are Taking Tentative Steps Toward Online Networking). An article called Business Pros Click at Social Networking Sites takes note of an interesting study. The study, which was conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity, determined that 65 percent of business professionals are using social networking sites for professional purposes. The three most popular sites used by business professionals are LinkedIn (which was designed to be used by business professionals), Yahoo! 360, and MySpace. The study also determined that: Fifty-two percent of respondents whose organizations are using social networking sites do so to keep internal staff and remote employees connected, while 47 percent use the networks to connect with potential clients and to showcase their skills. Thirty-five percent say they use the networks to assist them in finding a job. Fifty-five percent of those using the networks do so to share the best practices with colleagues, and forty-nine percent use them to get answers to issues they are currently facing (Business Pros Click at Social Networking Sites). Social networking sites can also increase the number of visitors to your companys website. David Wallace, in his article 5 Ways Small Business Can Benefit from Social Media/Networking Sites, mentions that MySpace has been used by numerous music and entertainment entities for this exact purpose. The key is to select the social networking site that is most relevant to your company and products (Wallace). Wallace notes that interaction with

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customers is another way that businesses can benefit from social networking sites. Not only can you handle customers questions and complaints, but you can also use social networking sites to promote your products and services or to report company news. It also puts a personal face on the company (Wallace). And, of course, there are the networking opportunities. As a businessman, Wallace states: For me, many of the social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others, have allowed me to develop numerous relationships which are not only beneficial in day to day operations, but especially rewarding when attending industry conferences. The conference becomes more like a family reunion than a boring, uninvolved trade show (Wallace). However, some people would disagree. They believe that social networking sites are bad for businesses because they result in lower levels of productivity among employees. This is certainly a reasonable counterargument. According to ProCon.org, one study found that Australian businesses were losing up to $4.5 billion (in U.S. dollars) per year due to employees using Facebook at work. One report indicated that businesses in the U.K. were losing an estimated $12.5 billion (in U.S. dollars) per year. Another study indicated that two-thirds of workers in the U.S. who are members of Facebook log on to their accounts while theyre at work (ProCon.org). While these results are staggering, they seem questionable to me. How exactly does one measure the amount of money a company loses due to an employee using a social networking site during work, considering the differences in salaries between employees? Also, are these studies taking into consideration employees who use social networking sites only during paid breaks? What about whether the employee is using the sites for personal or professional purposes?

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Another counterargument is the potential for employees behavior on social networking sites to damage the reputation of the company. This could happen even by accident for instance, if a prominent employee exercises poor judgment by uploading a video of a wild office party or suggestive photographs, or even posting an inappropriate joke on his or her profile. However, in the cases of both of these counterarguments, some companies have blocked access to social networking sites on company computers. Others have begun using electronic surveillance software, which monitors employees behavior on company computers. Social networking sites do benefit society. They can be safe to use, they do provide the same opportunity for personal growth and development as face-to-face networks, and businesses can benefit from them. But what does the future hold for social networking sites? It is likely that more businesses will begin using social networking sites. Social networking sites may also play a role in education and government in the near future. Social networking sites are going to be a part of our society for a long time, so we might as well take advantage of what they have to offer.

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Works Cited Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society? ProCon.org, n.d. Web. 10 November 2009. <http://socialnetworking.procon.org/> Business Pros Click at Social Networking Sites. Report on Business: Globe Careers 3 August 2007: C2. Lexis Nexis. University of Wisconsin-Stout Library, Menomonie, WI. 18 November 2009. <http://ezproxy.lib.uwstout.edu:2066/us/lnacademic/> Ecommerce. Grow Your Client Base with This Tip. InstanteStore, n.d. Web. 22 November 2009. < http://ecommerce.instantestore.com/grow-your-client-base-with-this-tip/> Lang, KJ. Facebook Friend Turns into Big Brother. La Crosse Tribune 19 November 2009: A1, A7. <http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_0ff40f7a-d4d1-11de-afb3001cc4c002e0.html> Meece, Mickey. Small Businesses are Taking Tentative Steps Toward Online Networking. New York Times 4 June 2009: B-5. LexisNexis. University of Wisconsin-Stout Library, Menomonie, WI. 22 November 2009. <http://ezproxy.lib.uwstout.edu:2066/us/lnacademic/> Strickland, Jonathan. What Are the Pros and Cons of Social Networking Sites? HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 10 November 2009. <http://www.howstuffworks.com/internet/social-networking/information/pros-conssocial-networking.htm/printable> Turkle, Sherry. How Computers Change the Way We Think. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 30 January 2004. Kress, Anne and Suellyn Winkle. NextText Making Connections Across and Beyond the Disciplines: pg. 256-262. 20 October 2009. United States. Dept. of Homeland Security. United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. Staying Safe on Social Network Sites. By Mindi McDowell. 22 April 2009. 22 November 2009. < http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST06-003.html> Wallace, David. 5 Ways Small Business Can Benefit From Social Media/Networking Sites. Search Engine Guide, 15 November 2007. Web. 22 November 2009. < http://www.searchengineguide.com/david-wallace/5-ways-small-business-can-benefitfrom-s.php>

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