Advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites.

Social networks have become the essential part of private and professional life
of many people all over the world. Research shows that the most popular sites
worldwide are Facebook with 2.38 billion monthly active users, You Tube (2
billion users),WhatsApp (1.6 billion users). Six-ranked photo-sharing app
Instagram has 1 billion monthly active accounts. About 2 billion Internet users
are using social networks and these figures are expected to grow.
One of the most obvious benefits of using social networks is that you can keep
in touch with your friends easily, quickly, and cheaply. It’s a good way of
making new acquaintances, communicating with people from different
countries, discussing various topics, sharing photos and videos. Apart from this,
many people use combined profiles in social media for business and private
networking.
Also, social networks give a great opportunity for many companies to make a
market research and to develop new products and services. Monitoring social
media you get direct and fast access to your customers’ interests, opinions and
problems. Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are
excellent ways to communicate with customers. Some large international
companies are working with project wikis, project blogs and have global virtual
teams. They are already using file sharing, collaborative platforms for project
teams. Social media are a platform for podcasts and webinars to show your
customers how your product works.
However, there are some advantages of using social networks. One negative
aspect lies in the fact that some teenagers spend so much time online. As a
result of it, children suffer from the lack of live communication. They can
become Internet addicts. Other than that, cyberbullying is a serious problem.
According to statistics, about 37% of teenagers between the ages12 and 17
have been bullied online, most of them on the platform of Instagram. The
people who experience cyberbullying are at a great risk for suicidal behaviour.

Another problem relates to hackers. They can get into our computers and use
personal information for identity theft. We are worried by increasing cases of
fraud. Scams are prevalent on popular social networks such as Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram. That is why it is highly recommended not to include
your personal data such as your home address or phone number into your
public profile. You should check and regularly update privacy settings on your
social media accounts.

All in all, we cannot disagree with the fact that social networks made our lives
much easier. However, I think that social media will never replace real-life
communication. I am convinced that blended networking, the combination of on-
line and offline networking, is the way forward. Hence, people should lift their
heads from their computer and phone screens and start living life”.