Category: Social Networking

Abstract

Definitely, social networking tools have become common among learners who use them for various purposes. As an instrumental tool in education, such tools are increasingly used for research work. There rises a concern on how social networks can be used to facilitate education in public secondary schools. This paper aims at reviewing the literature of how social networks can be used to foster education. This will be done by conducting a research project whereby data will be collected from various target groups. Appropriate research methodologies will be applied when collecting and analysing data.

Introduction

It is apparent that social networking sites have become fully embedded in everyday life including in education (Boyd & Ellison 211). Additionally, social networking sites have become a major focus for research in the contemporary world. Such tools have become instrumental in globalization to an extent that they have impacted positively in the field of education by the way ideas and knowledge is spread quite fast (Ellison, Steinfeld, & Lampe 1143).

Though several studies have been conducted on the rate at which the tools are gaining popularity in UAE, none has adequately addressed the strategies in which these tools can be used to enhance educational research (Boyd & Ellison 211). According to research done, it is evident that their application can be used to foster education in UAE (Menon par. 2). Nonetheless, very little is known on how the emergence of social networking sites can be fully exploited in facilitating education in UAE. In this case, several questions have been raised on how the sites can be of great use in education (Menon par. 4). Meanwhile, this research aimed at identifying how Social Networking Tools (SNT) can be used in education in UAE.

Literature Review: Social Networking Tools (SNT)

Social networking tools are websites that foster social interactions through the internet (Boyd & Ellison 211). Examples of such websites include face book and twitter. These websites allow friends to meet online and share ideas, knowledge opinion and new concepts (Ellison, Steinfeld, & Lampe 1143). The social network tools have user-generated content that heighten the relationship among learners who have access to software technology. Research evidence indicates that, online interaction promotes learning among groups. Increasingly, this technology is becoming a major focus for learners specifically in advancing their research skills (Ellison, Steinfeld, & Lampe 1147).

Imperatively, it is evident that use of social networking tools has penetrated the education system of UAE (Menon par 1). In fact, recent researches unveiled that such program are very common in government institutions such as secondary schools. Reports derived from recent statistical research indicate that UAE ranks among the top 10 countries in the world that have highly adopted the use of social networking tool in classrooms (Boyd & Ellison 213).

As a matter of fact, 45% of the population in UAE is believed to have accounts in various social sites such as face books and twitter (Menon par 1). Moreover, the empirical researches have unveiled that the majority of social site users are young people at the age of 15-17 in secondary schools. However, teachers, parents, students and school administrators have different opinions on the increased usage of social networking sites in education. Nevertheless, teachers and learners feel that social networking sites are channels for exploration and that they will facilitate fast dissemination of knowledge in educational circles (Ellison, Steinfeld, & Lampe 1146). Meanwhile, there are key factors that were responsible in enhancing the social networking tools facilitate education in UAE. However, these will be evaluated during the projects research.

Objectives

The major objective was to research on how social sites can be used to foster education in UAE. However, there were specific objectives that were to be achieved during the research project. These objectives will act as roadmap and thus drive the project towards a successful accomplishment. These include:

1. To Study the concept of social networking tools from literature and validate the findings from it. This involves using literature to establish different of social networks used in education.
2. To develop a conceptual framework for summarizing perceptions of the effectiveness of social networking tools in education based on findings from literature. This involves finding out perception of people on how effective social networking tools are in education using the literature obtained.
3. To Study the perceptions of teachers, school administrators and students parents about Social Networking tools (SNT) through interviewing and surveying them.
4. To assess the steps those are essential for accomplishing education success in UAE through social network tools. This will be done by analyzing the data collected from interviews and surveys.
5. To come up with conclusions and recommendations on how social networking tools (SNT) can encourage education (governmental secondary school) in UAE. This involves establishing what should be done to ensure that social networks are used to foster education.

Research Methodology

Since the concept of social networking is well understood in a wider context by many respondents, triangulation method of research was found suitable for the project. In this case, a combination of research methodologies was used in the study to increase validity of data collected (Kumar 2). In actual fact, this encompassed use of qualitative and quantitative research tools. The research methods were arrived at due to the nature of the research topic. In this case, the method chosen were found suitable in providing both statistical and analytical data (Kumar 4). Examples of qualitative research tools used include interviews, literature and media sources. On the other hand, field surveys were used to collect quantitative data during research procedure.

Facts Findings/ Data Collection

Using the research tools mentioned above, the project targeted to collect data from diversified groups. These groups included students, teachers, school administrators and parents. In the first case, students were interviewed in order to assess their perspective toward use of social networking tools. To emphasize on this, boys and girls were picked at random from different secondary schools. Precisely, there were participants from Al-Maaref boys and Sukaina girls school. During the interview, data was collected on the basis of individual experiences.

Moreover, school administrators and teachers were also interviewed in order to establish the effectiveness of social networking tools on education. Teachers and administrators were also targeted in order to unveil the advantages and disadvantages associated with social networking tools on education. There was an intention to establish the percentage of teachers who recommended the use of social networks in classroom related activities. In line with this, parents whose students were in government schools were also interviewed in order to evaluate their perception. Needless to say, parents involved in the project were interviewed at their work stations and their opinions were noted down.

Additional information was derived from the target groups through survey method. Several survey questions were structured and distributed to students who responded to them depending on their experience and perception on social networks. This method provided quantities data on the percentage of students who used social networking tools in their studies. Moreover, it enabled one to unveil the duration of time spent in such sites on a daily basis. Pointless to say, survey helped in identifying the core goal in which learners use such networks. Surveys also helped in establishing the percentage in which students preferred one tool against the other such as face book and twitter. Definitely, this method was appropriate in deriving the conclusion on how students welcome the use of social networks in education.

To increase approval of data collected, literature and media sources were also used. This involved reviewing written materials and online published documents in order to obtain updated details about social networking sites such as face book and twitter. Needless to say, research and online articles were found useful in establishing the key factors that can make social networks to become useful tools in education.

Research outcomes/ Findings

From the research conducted, it is evident that most of the students in UAE use social networking tools for social reasons like chatting with friends, entertainment and communication (Ellison, Steinfeld, & Lampe 1144). In line with this, UAE was compared with other countries that use social networking tools in education. Such countries include Saudi Arabia, United States and Qatar. However, among the named countries, USA ranked the top with more that 66 percent of learners using social networks in education (Menon par. 4).

To synthesize on this, this has been made possible in USA through creating awareness among learners on the importance of social networks. Such awareness encompasses teaching learners how to utilize social networks to obtain information and how to evade posed challenges such as addiction. Centrally, USA has been able to facilitate such programs since the ministry of education has illustrated to learners how well to use such tools as personal and socializing tool in education(Menon par. 6).

Additionally, from the two schools visited, 75 per cent of the students are members of the social networks such as face book and twitter. This percentage is almost equal in both boys and girls. From the research, it was unveiled that most of the students access the networks via phones and computers. A larger percentage accesses the networks for long hours during the holidays. Whereas others spend about 1-2 hours on the social networks after classes.

However, it is only less than 10 per cent who used the social networks for something academic. From the information collected, 90 per cent of the students interviewed would want to use the sites for education. It is worth to note that face book is the widely used network among the available networks.
Notably, 80 per cent of the teachers are members of the social networks while 20% feel it is a waste of time. Unlike the students, the teachers do use them for more hours daily as they have better access to electronics and internet. However, only a few teachers used it as a tool for education.

Survey of twitter usage in UAE and other neighboring countries

However, 90 % of teachers would encourage it as they feel it would break the monotony of the formal classroom learning. In line with this, social network have a disadvantage since students are likely to misusing the networks. Others may concentrate so much on the networks and alienate use of other resources like books which are equally reliable.

From the parents response, it is evident that they are members of various social networks which they use for social reasons. About 20 % of the parents feel that, social networks waste time and would therefore not encourage their children to subscribe. Approximately 40 per cent of the parents would want the networks to be used as a education tool. Whereas others think that it would only be misused thus disrupt the learning.

Data Analysis

Adequate information was collected and recorded. Apparently, the project considered all the Reponses that arose from the respondents. A significant number of questions were answered apart from a few. In this case, a follow-up was made to obtain data for the questions. The follow-up was made and data collected from online materials and mass media. Finally, findings were presented for review (Keenan & Shiri 440).

Recommendations

From the finding and analysis of data collected, it was recommended that social networking tools should be encouraged among students in order to facilitate education. However, teachers and parents should regulate and govern the use of such network to ensure that students do not use them for inconvenient reasons. Learners should not over-rely on social networks in research but also use other learning materials such as books (Hargittai 278).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident from the research outcomes that social networking has become highly embended among secondary schools students in government learning institutions. That notwithstanding, it is apparent that social networks such as face book and twitter play pivotal role in education since they enhance academic skills. In this case, it is uneasy to detach learning from this social networking technology.

Acknowledgements

This research study would particularly like to acknowledge the ministry the education who availed the much needed data on education trends in UAE. In addition, the various heads of schools, teachers, parents and pupils were also very instrumental in the entire study, without which the final results would not have been possible. Finally, there are those who indirectly contributed to the success of this report and who could not all be mentioned here.

Works Cited

1. Boyd, Dinah & Ellison, Nicole. Social Network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, (2008): 210- 230. Web.
2. Ellison Nicole, Steinfeld, Charles & Lampe, Cliff. The Benefits of Face bookFriends: Social Capital and College Students Use of Online Social Network Sites, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, (2007): 1143-1168. Web.
3. Hargittai, Eszter. Whose Space? Differences among Users and Non-Users of Social Sites, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13 (2008): 276-297. Web.
4. Keenan, Andrew & Shiri, Ali. Sociability and social interaction on social networking Websites, Library Review, 58.6(2009):438-450. Web.
5. Kumar, Ranjit. Research Methodology-A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. Singapore, Pearson Education, 2005. Print.
6. Menon,Vineetha. UAE second in world list for online social networking. 2008. Web.

When talking about the social networking and the ethical issues concerning the business element in the given sphere, it is most appropriate to consider the existing controversies from the point of deontology, since the latter, according to the definition provided by Brooks & Dunn (2009), Deontology is different from consequentialism in that deontologists focus on the obligations or duties motivating a decision or actions rather than on the consequences of the actions (184).

In the case study entitled Case six. One more look at social networking and conducted to figure out the probable ethical dilemmas existing in the social networking at present, important remarks concerning the business development in the sphere of social networks have been made.

According to the research, Social networking web sites have had negative publicity in recent years, due to them being targeted by pornography and predators (Case six. One more look at social networking, 2006).

In the given case, students split in two teams to engage in fundraising; one of the teams makes use of social networks, while another one resorts to school advertisements, banners, etc. As a result the former team wins, which shows the promotion effect which social networks have.

Thus, an ethical concern appears and the question is raised, whether it is ethical to use commercial sin social networks. Because of the active business development and the commercialization of the social networks, the impact which the latter leaves on the users leaves much to be desired.

The given issue causes for a more detailed consideration of the Australian Computer Society code of ethics and an even more thorough check of whether the current state of affairs can be considered as a deviation from the existing norms.

However, considering the Australian Computer Society Code of Ethics, one can hardly find the statement which can terminally ban the undesirable commercials from the users to observe on the site.

Despite the fact that certain statements can be vaguely related to as the ones that speak against the display of commercials with the inappropriate materials, the situation can be hardly addressed to as a completely clear-cut case.

On the one hand, there are such statements as 3.1. I will not knowingly mislead a client or potential client as to the suitability of a product or service (Australian Computer Society, 1997) and 4.1.

I will protect and promote the health and safety of those affected by my work (Australian Computer Society, 1997), which can supposedly be applied to, since the inappropriate information in the commercials can be classified as misleading and harmful for ones psychological safety.

Nevertheless, the connection between the statements and the claims seems rather vague, which gives the reasons for concern.

Hence, the postulates of deontology should be applied to maintain the balance between the business goals and the usability of the site, which will require a profound theoretical basis.

Since in the given case the customers interests and even well-being is involved, it is most reasonable to consider the Kantian ethics as one of the main and the most specific branches of deontology.

As Ward explains, there is a certain connection between the Kantian ethics and that one applied to the social networks. According to Ward (2010) explains, The tradition of prioritising the analyses of obligation and duty rather than the good flowing from Kant is often called deontological (63).

Analyzing the case study in question, one can see distinctly that in the given case, Kants principle of Categorical Imperative is neglected. To consider the Kantian principle closer, one must pay a special attention to the explanation provided by Brooks & Dunn (2009):

Kants principle indicates that there is a duty or imperative to: always act in such a way that you can also will that the maxim of your action should become a universal law. This means that if you cannot will that everyone follows the same rule, your rule is not a moral one. (Brooks & Dunn, 2009, 184)

Considering the case study in question, one can observe that the prior Kantian principle is being neglected in the social networking system, since in the realm of online business, the authors of the numerous commercials create the advertisements which would rather not be seen on any site or any networking service.

As Case six. One more look at social networking (2006) puts it, the researchers are a bit leery of the use of any social networks as a marketing and promotional tool, because of all the negative publicity some of the web sites have had in the past (para.13).

After all, MySpace and Facebook both have terms of use that talk about their noncommercial usage (Waring & Buchanan, 2010, 20).

However, it must be admitted that, once the content of the advertisements becomes more or less appropriate for the users of all ages and confessions, it is possible that the business in the sphere of social network can exist without any further ethical controversies.

Thus, it can be considered that in the given case of concern for the ethical principles applied in the sphere of social networking and business and the way the given principles can be bent for the sake of economical and financial success, the deontological theory seems the most appropriate.

Rather than focusing in the probable negative results, it establishes the moral principles with the help of which any negative results can be prevented.

Reference List

Australian Computer Society (1997). Values and ideas subscribed to by society members. Web.

Brooks, L. J., & Dunn, P. (2009). Business and professional ethics for directors, executives and accountants. Stamford, CN: Cengage Learning.

Case six. One more look at social networking (2006). Web.

Ward, S. J. A. (2010). Media ethics beyond borders: A global perspective. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Waring, R. L., & Buchanan, R. (2010). Social networking web sites: The legal and ethical aspects of pre-employment screening and employee surveillance. Journal of Human Resources Education, 4(2), 14-23.

Introduction

Social networking is perhaps the most popular computing phenomenon in the contemporary society. It is a relatively new phenomenon and thus most governments have few or no legislations for regulating its use.

This has made social networking services counterproductive because some people may misuse these services. The issue of whether social networking services are appropriate in the society has therefore attracted a lot of controversy with both the supporters and opponents of social networking services giving good reasons for their standpoint.

This paper is an analysis of social networks using a utilitarian approach.

Appropriateness of social network services

The feelings of utility that a person gets in a social networking environment will indubitably affect his/her attitude towards social networking.

If the user finds fulfilment in interacting with people on social networks, he/she will be enjoying a utility in that fulfilment, and thus he/she will value the use of social networks.

The utility in this case is brought about by the various applications that provide services in the social networking environment (Swire, 2011).

Such services include platforms for sharing information with family members, workmates, school mates and other contacts.

Others include gaming applications, online chatting applications, applications for sharing pictures and videos, etc.

The aforementioned applications and services are appropriate for use in social networking environments depending on who uses them and how he/she uses them.

This is because users of social networks can choose the applications and services from which they get utility. The utility in this case may be negative or positive.

For instance, if a young adults main need in social networking is to communicate effectively with his/her partner, he/she may find more utility in the online chatting applications in some social networking sites.

In addition to the online chatting service, the young adult may find utility in the direct messaging service in order to cut down on cell phone costs. This implies that these services are appropriate for him/her in this scenario.

As mentioned above, the appropriateness of social networking services depend on who is using the services, and also on how he/she uses the services. For instance, there have been cases of adults posing as teenagers to teenage girls in order to molest them.

There have also been cases of murderers planning their crimes using social networks. In these cases, it can be argued that social networking services are inappropriate.

This is because despite the fact that the criminal gets utility by undertaking his/her criminal activities, his/her actions result in community disutility.

Therefore, the appropriateness of social networking services depends on who is using the services.

Governing social networks

There are a number of legal issues associable with social networking. One of these issues is the need to protect the providers of social networking services legally.

There is also the issue of online defamation in social networks, and also the issue of posting illegal content (Long, n.d., p. 1).

In countries where there are laws governing social networking interactions, the law is seemingly more lenient on the users of social networks than on the content providers.

This is especially the case in issues like posting of defamatory news and other related inappropriate social network activities (Long, n.d., p. 1).

The government should take a lead role in governing of social networks. Responsible government Ministries/Departments/Agencies (MDAs) should develop legislation governing social networks (Diagle, 2010).

The MDAs should follow all the steps of legislation and thus before application of the legislation, it should be approved by parliament.

After the legislation comes into force, the government should create a body/agency responsible for online communications.

This agency will ideally be responsible for communications on social networks and other online platforms like websites and blogs.

Benefits of social networks

One of the advantages of social networks is the fact that social media networks have worldwide connectivity. This allows people to find their contacts easily no matter the distance.

It also gives people convenience in their lives by helping in issues like finding romance, getting advice, getting assistance, getting jobs, etc (Cosmato, 2012, p. 1).

Another advantage of social networks is the fact that the social networking environment is designed in such a way that it is easy to identify people with common interests.

This will enable people to share resources like game resources, and it can also help people to unite for a common cause.

An example of the latter is the political transformation that occurred in Egypt recently. Facebook, a social networking site, made a key contribution in this revolution.

Almost all social networks have a feature for instant messaging. This means that users can exchange information by means of chatting in real-time.

This is advantageous because people can exchange large volumes of information in a short period of time.

Social networks also offer a platform for free advertising. This can be resourceful for non-profit organizations and other organizations with limited resources (Cosmato, 2012, p. 1).

Demerits of social networks

One of the disadvantages of social networking is the fact that it eliminates or reduces face-to-face interactions among individuals. This has made several people to assume personas that are different from whom they really are.

The lack of face-to-face interaction has also brought about a lot of evil in social interactions because it is easier to be rude, arrogant, unreasonable and abusive in an instant messaging platform than it is in face-to-face interactions.

The use of social networks can expose individuals to harassment or inappropriate contact from others (Cosmato, 2012). For instance, children are vulnerable to paedophiles who may pretend to be teenagers living in their neighbourhood.

Children may also access inappropriate content that get posted on social networks by unreasonable users. This content can be in the form of pornographic images and videos, or even erotic language.

Information that is posted online is easily available to people who are clever enough to get it. If a fraudster gets the personal information of their target, he/she can use it to steal from that person and this can prove to be very costly to the targeted person.

In addition to all these disadvantages, social networks waste a lot of time for people and thus they make people to spend time unproductively.

Conclusion

From the discussion above, it is clear that social networks and their services are appropriate. It is the unethical users who use these networks inappropriately.

Due to the consequences of the actions of unethical users, it is important that governments reign in the social networking phenomenon by developing legislation that will govern social networking.

By doing this, the advantages of social networking will be maximized while minimizing the disadvantages.

Reference List

Cosmato, D., (2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking. Web.

Diagle, E., (2010). Social Networking Policies: Just Another Policy? Web.

Long, H. Social Networking Sites and Legal Issues. Web.

Swire, P., (2011). Social Networks, Privacy, and Freedom of Association. Web.

In the modern times, the world has become a global village and people are connected more than ever before. Today, people depend on the internet to do almost everything. Individuals are using modern technology to communicate and to run businesses. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have exploded in the last few years (Watters, 2012).

Children and adolescents have also become exceedingly active on social networking sites to communicate with friends and hook up with different people all over the world. Undoubtedly, the internet is playing a significant role in everybodys life, and children have not been left behind. Although, the internet has much to offer, there are certain risks involved. This paper will discuss the potential threats of social networking sites to children.

Criminal elements

Social networking sites can expose children to criminals (Roderic, 2006). Although Facebook and Twitter among other social networking sites are primarily designed for socialization, there are many users who are on these social sites for different reasons. There are many nice people on social networking sites, but those who have bad motives also do exist.

Children are exposed, and criminals are targeting the most vulnerable groups in the society (Roderic, 2006). Because children and adolescents post a lot of information about themselves, social networking sites, especially Facebook, Twitter, and My Space have become heaven for internet predators (Roderic, 2006).

Children are usually excited to share about their hobbies, friends, schools, their physical appearance, and their phone numbers among other exceptionally sensitive information. Such information mostly is read by criminals. When a child says that he will be at a certain place during a specific time, such criminals take advantage either to kidnap children or harass them.

Sexual content

Social networking sites can expose children and adolescents to content that is only meant for adults (Watters, 2012). It is now clear that social networks are just more than socializing. In recent times, adolescents, youths and adults have become active on the social networking sites.

Some people are using the social networking sites to advertise while others are doing illegal business on the same sites. However, some individuals usually post statuses that can cause emotional damage, especially when accessed by children. It is clear that, most social networking sites, especially Facebook provides facilities that allow users to post images and videos (Roderic, 2006).

According to Watters (2012) some people are extremely sensitive, but others have bad motives and they only post images that are destructive to children. In fact, research has shown that big percent of images found on most social networking sites are sexual graphics. Even if your child has not posted such images, there is high likelihood that he/ she has seen photos on Facebook that are pornographic in nature.

Apart from such images, there are many videos posted on the social networking sites containing graphics that have a potential to frighten and harm adolescents (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003). By using fake profiles, some individuals do post pictures that show them necked (nude), and this is extremely harmful to young children. Others use strong sexual language, which is also harmful to young children.

Social networking sites are only designed for adults and therefore, young children should be monitored when they are using such sites. One of the biggest problems is that, many users do not screen their contents to make sure that children cannot view or access them (Stephan, 2000). Parents should be extremely careful when it comes to social networking sites.

Identity thieves

It has been reported that criminals use fake profiles; they have fake identities, and some pretend to be children so that they can have children as their Facebook or Twitter friends (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003). Criminals are befriending children because they are pretending to be their own age.

Although these cases are rare, they are very serious because they come with many problems. According to most law enforcement agencies, faking profiles is one of the fastest growing problems, and parents should be very alert to prevent their children from being victims of such criminals. Criminals are targeting children because they want to kidnap them for sex (Watters, 2012).

Today, cases of adults using social networking sites and other chat rooms with attempts to befriend children and adolescents have been on the increase (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003). The biggest danger comes when these adults posing as children on the social sites want to meet their new friends.

It is, therefore, clear that social networking sites have become play grounds for fraudsters, kidnappers and other criminals whose aim is to find and prey on most vulnerable targets (children) (Roderic, 2006). Parents should learn various ways of protecting their children because they are relatively vulnerable on the internet.

Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying has increasingly become a serious problem in the recent times. Bullying is no longer restricted to the play grounds, but it can also happen on the internet too (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003). Social networking sites are the most targeted and children can be bullied even when they are at home or at school.

This form of bullying is not physical but it can be very damaging at times as it interferes with emotions of the young and adolescents. Statistics show that children are becoming victims of cyber bullying because they are constantly on social networking sites to socialize and on the internet to study (Stephan, 2000). Cyber bullying can happen through numerous means including email and social networking sites. It is necessary to address this problem because it can affect childrens lives in a negative way.

Emotional damage

Experts have warned that apart from vulgar language and watching pornographic videos and images, children can also undergo emotional damage because of using social networking sites. The most risk social sites include Facebook, Twitter, and Bebo, which can interfere with confidence of users (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003).

In such social networking cites, users have friends and some have many friends than others. Having many friends is a source of self esteem for children, but those who have few friends are less confident; they lack self-esteem (Roderic, 2006). This is because many children measure their happiness and success based on the number of friends.

Even if a child is not facing other problems (such as bullying) on a certain social networking site, one may not feel confident enough because he only has few friends. Moreover, children are spending more time on the internet and they are losing their empathy on actual friends (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003).

Experts have reported that since social networking sites were launched, many people have lost their real friends because they have no time to interact with each other. This is because most people are spending a lot of time glued to their computers. Some children have even forgotten about their interests and hobbies, which is pushing them away from their friends. This trend is a serious crisis because young children are losing emotional skills, needed to retain true friends.

Malware and virus

Another potential threat caused by use of social networking sites among children is the potential to harm their computers, phones, and PCs among other personal gadgets (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003). The internet is full of threats both for human and hardware. When children are on the social networking sites, they may accidentally expose their computers or phones to harmful malware such as virus among others.

Parents unlike children are extremely cautious when clicking on what to download from their computers. They are fully aware there exist hundreds of potential hazardous risks and are, therefore, likely to avoid them. On the other hand, children are most vulnerable because they are not likely to know which links are unsafe (Roderic, 2006).

On the internet, there are thousands of dangerous sites and social networking sites are not exception as they are the most targeted links. The risks that come with viruses are serious because some of them can cause hardware failures. Parents should monitor which links their children are visiting when they are on social networking sites to avoid such potential threats.

Recommendations

It is highly recommended that parents should monitor, supervise, and guide their children when using Facebook or Twitter among others. This is because, children are innocents, and they are unlikely to sense danger. Criminal are targeting children and adolescents on the social networking sites due to their vulnerability.

Parent should install software that restricts accessing of certain pages or links. In addition, parents should train their children about various problems related to social networking sites. They should also warn them about the numerous potential threats caused by such sites.

Apart from helping and encouraging children, parents should also work with law enforcement agencies to make sure that those who are responsible for bullying and posting harmful materials (such as pornographic images and videos) are punished severely. The government should also impose tough penalties on such criminals to help reduce such cases.

Risk Assessment

Conclusion

The internet is utilized by people to run businesses and to communicate all over the world. Because of its efficiency, it has been embraced globally. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and My Space are the most commonly used (Rittinghouse and Hanock, 2003).

These networking sites have potential threats to children, who have continued to use these sites to communicate and connect with friends. The reason why children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to being preyed upon by online criminals is because they are naive.

Cyber bullying, exposure to malware, identity thieves, emotional distress, and being exposed to content only fit for adults are among the few potential threats that are presented by social networking sites to children. To curb these problems, parents should take the responsibility of monitoring, supervising, and guiding their children. Furthermore, parents should work with the law enforcement agencies to ensure criminals are punished. By so doing, our children will be safe whenever they are using social networking sites.

Reference List

Rittinghouse, W., Hanock, B. (2003). Cyber security Operations Handbook. Missouri: Digital Press.

Roderic, B. (2006). Developments in the global law enforcement of cyber-crime, Policing. An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 29 (3): 408  433.

Stephan, G. (2000). The draft cyber crime convention: creating an international law enforcement standard. Info, 2 (6): 605  606.

Watters, P. (2012). Cyber Security: Concepts and Cases. Amsterdam: British Scientific Publishing.

Social networking has evolved quickly to preoccupy almost every sphere of life. Many researchers have argued that the peoples way of behavior and working relationships have changed to reflect the ongoing changes in communication and social networking arena (Graber, 2003).

Today, social networking continues to direct how people create and sustain relationships at the place of work, family, and how they relate to their intimate friends. Traditionally, communication between people has faced enormous challenges because of limitations of location (Graber, 2003). However, with the emergence of social networking, barriers to effective networking such as physical boundaries have been demystified.

The concept of social networks has received tremendous attention and focus from across sections in the society. Some researchers have held that the way social media and networks have emerged to articulate traditional challenges of interaction are complex and multifaceted. Today, people have come to emphasize the need for distant communication via virtual interaction media more than physical and real life social encounters embraced over the past century.

Observers content that the manner in which friendship is build has been changed majorly because of the changes in the interaction media. In similar but separate research, some scholars argue that social networking has turned around the nature of friends and friendships within the context of social media.

Although critics have argued that social interactions over a social media have created a weakening social bond among or between people in a relationship, considerable evidence suggests that social networks have salvaged or revived relationships that were on the verge of collapsing.

Recent surveys suggest that social networks have tended to support individuals in their struggle to sustain relationships. These surveys indicate that in the absence of social networks challenged the survival of relationships in the ancient moments.

Arguably, physical barriers that describe broken links after people move in locations that are widely dispersed from their affiliates threatened the growth and development of relationships. Observers assert that mediating factors that prevailed over the past cannot be omnipresent as they used to be.

Whereas people have been able to create and maintain relationships via social networking as an enabler, it remains evident that the social networks have challenged the traditional definition of the term friend. In the traditional sense, the term friend refers to an individual that is closely and intimately related to the other, and who are real life. Today, the virtual world that defines the growing social networks has overturned the traditional meaning of friendship.

Therefore, online communication has enabled people to have a new sense of the world by adopting a holistic meaning of the term friend. Studies indicate that people interacting on virtual space are not necessarily real life friends. Thus, the world of relationships has grown to accommodate a broader perspective of life than before. While social networks continue to evolve to accommodate the needs of various people, increased improvements have enabled potential friends to connect effortlessly.

The ease of connection between people has, according to many observers, changed friendship into a more casual form than in a traditional form of friendship that embraced a formal and physical encounter. However, clearly, the nature of friendship can be said to transcend the traditional type toward a more mechanistic and unnatural form.

Whereas social networks have demonstrated immense significance in boosting informal relationships, studies have shown that organizations have enjoyed a revival based on the synergies provided by social networks. Today, researchers in human resources have suggested that ties build out of social networks are crucial in for generation of innovative and creative ideas and fundamental activities shape organizational productivity.

In a report published in the MIT, Allen Thomas noted that distinguished performers in research and development registered high rates of consultation with their peers compared to their low performing counterparts (Fliaster, 2011).

A growing body of knowledge demonstrates that creation of innovative ideas and knowledge remains a preserve of a collaborative process rather than an individualistic and intrapersonal process (Graber, 2003). Thus, organizations that embrace egalitarian approaches to social linkages stand a higher ground of benefiting from a myriad of ideas.

According to Fliaster (2011), Steve Jobs contended that despite enjoying the advantages of highly skilled personnel, Apple Inc. gained strategic advantage via meetings that provided creative ideas. Research indicates that mutual responsiveness is a result of special characteristics of social bonds (Salvatore & Rollag, 2010). In essence, socially bound people working in a group have been found to be more productive compared to individuals.

Further studies have suggested that problem solving process a multifaceted process that needs a combined effort of ideas. Fliaster (2011) asserted that friends working closely or from a distance, but connected via an efficient channel can challenge each other to provide unique scenarios that promise sustainable solutions to their unique problems (Salvatore & Rollag, 2010).

Organizations have been challenged to shift from the traditional aspects of working relationship and to new ways of inclusivity, which most scholars have referred to as promoting strategic informality. While it is arguable that mutual closeness through social networks cannot be ordered, this naturally occurring process can be nurtured and supported.

References

Fliaster, A. (2011). The Social Network. Journal of Organizational Learning.

Graber, D. (2003). The Power of Communication: Managing Information in Public Organizations. New York, NY: Cq Press.

Salvatore, P., & Rollag, K. (2010). Emergent network structure and initial group performance: The moderating role of pre-existing relationships. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(6), 877-897.

Introduction

Health IT governance is a procedure that facilitates the practical and efficient utilization of IT in facilitating a healthcare organizations capacity to attain its operational objectives as well as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) goals. On the other hand, the ACA contains several provisions that aim to enhance better care, minimize health-related costs, and foster increased care access (McIntyre & Song, 2019). The healthcare sector envisioned the need for health information technology (HIT) systems to facilitate the attainment of the ACAs goals and made significant investments in this particular project. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the Health IT governances role in ensuring the maintenance, monitoring, and implementation of the ACAs requirements.

Improving Quality

Health data governance plays a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency, promptness, and relevance of healthcare facilities quality improvement and measurement efforts. Evaluating quality using structured information captured during regular patient care practices helps HIT professionals to distinguish new measurement domains. This approach fosters the aggregation of dynamic quality measures capable of capturing changes through time at different levels, the precise adjustment of their associated risks, the customization of every aggregation level, and the sharing of pertinent outcomes. Feedback from quality assessment processes is typically used to foster clinical practice improvements during service delivery (Kruse & Baine, 2018). Healthcare settings also use HIT to facilitate public reporting and compliance monitoring, for instance, licensure, credentialing, certification, and accreditation.

The utilization of accredited electronic health records (EHR) technologies meaningfully also facilitates the fulfillment of the ACA requirements by minimizing health disparities and enhancing efficiency in operations, patient safety, and healthcare service quality. This approach also fosters high patient and family engagement in their respective health, better care coordination, improved public and populace health, and patient health data protection and privacy (Werder, 2015). Implementing clinical decision support tools by U.S based hospitals has also played a crucial role in facilitating the incorporation of evidence-based research outcomes into clinical operations, thereby bettering care quality.

Minimizing Health-Related Costs

Efficiency-related savings often result in instances where similar work is executed using minimal or fewer resources. Health IT governance has been instrumental in streamlining procedures involved in processing claims, thereby cutting its associated costs by a significant margin and improving turnaround periods considerably (Kruse & Baine, 2018). This approach typically fosters the automation of data gathering and communication procedures while proving episodes associated with the claims; this consequently results in reduced healthcare costs and better patient experiences. The substantial savings related to HIT originate from decreased hospital stays resulting from improved coordination and scheduling and increased safety, and the effective utilization of drugs to minimize incidences related to adverse outcomes. HIT governance has also fostered the integration of financial and administrative data transactions such as payment, the submission of claims, and insurance enrollment with clinical information operations, thereby enhancing efficiency in hospitals operations. The minimization of costs related to healthcare consequently fosters the attainment of the ACA stipulations.

Enhancing increased Care Access

The significant adoption of HIT and its meaningful use has also enhanced the effective management of chronic diseases. According to Werder (2015), this strategy has been crucial in fostering providers capacity to distinguish patients who require tests and additional services and ensuring consistency during the recording of test results. Furthermore, several patients with chronic disorders currently utilize remote monitoring systems to transmit their vital signs to providers directly from their homes. This has been a common practice, especially following the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic.

Conclusion

Health IT governance plays a crucial role in the fulfillment of the ACAs objectives through several processes. This approach has made it possible for healthcare providers to adopt the meaningful use of HIT to improve the overall quality of care. The strategy enhances operational efficiencies, patient safety, and reduces health disparities. Furthermore, it contributes to the betterment of care delivery services by facilitating quality computation and improvement initiatives. Significant decreases in healthcare-related costs have also been achieved through HIT governance.

References

Kruse C. S., & Beane, A. (2018). Health information technology continues to show positive effect on medical outcomes: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(2), 1-10.

McIntyre A, & Song, Z. (2019). The US Affordable Care Act: Reflections and directions at the close of a decade. PLoS Med, 16(2), 13.

Werder, M. (2015). Health information technology: A key ingredient of the patient experience. Patient Experience Journa l, 2(1), 143147. Web.

Introduction

WeChat is a messaging and calling application (app) that allows users to send messages, make voice and video calls, play games, conduct financial transactions, and share photos with their family and friends across different regions in the world (Ding & Xu, 2014). It is an app that has been widely embraced by online merchants as well as people who like to connect with family and friends through social media. It has received widespread recognition because it is free, and anyone interested in using it can download it to their Smartphone. Moreover, it has been described as the largest solo messaging app that attracts the largest number of users every month (Jing, 2014).

It was developed by Tencent in China and was officially launched in 2011. Its compatibility with different operating systems ensures that it serves many people. It is compatible with Android, iPhone, Windows, Blackberry, and Symbian mobile phones, among others (Ding & Xu, 2014). According to statistics released in 2015, WeChat has 468 million active users around the world (Leading Social Networks Worldwide, 2015). Even though the largest percentage of users is located in China, more than 70 million users are in other countries around the world. Users have the option of registering with their Facebook accounts or mobile phone numbers.

Reasons why WeChat is a good marketing tool

WeChat is a good marketing tool because of its many features that promote connections and communication among users. The app supports messaging in the form of texts, images, voice, and broadcast (Jing, 2014). This means that users can communicate, share videos and photographs, and exchange videos, thus creating a platform that is highly effective for use as a marketing tool. Another feature that supports this purpose is the option that allows users to integrate it with other social networking services (Jing, 2014). Online marketing is a successful niche because of social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and MySpace. This feature makes the app more valuable and useful because it can connect users in different social network services and thus increase the number of people it can reach (Ding & Xu, 2014).

The app also provides an option for users to create captions to accompany photographs. This feature is common among established social network platforms that are favored by marketers. When the app was launched in 2011, critics argued that it would not expand beyond china because the language is used. However, later improvements led to the addition of a machine translation service that translates messages into languages such as English (Jing, 2014). This service has expanded its impact and use. The app also allows users to send gift cards, name cards, and coupons to other users (Gonzalez, 2014). These features are important for marketers who use coupons to promote their products and services. Messages can be sent to individuals or groups. In addition, users can create group chats of up to 500 people and interact without fear because the app provides users with great control over their privacy.

Audiences are well engaged because statistics have shown that users check the app every six minutes on average (Jing, 2014). Marketers can take advantage of the high level of activity to promote products and services. Additionally, the app has a feature that allows users to generate individual QR codes that people can scan and use to become followers. Companies and businesses can subscribe to the service and get followers. This is an effective and efficient way for businesses and individuals to offer products and services to communicate with people in their target markets (Gonzalez, 2014). Another benefit of the app is the high number of subscribers that use it across the world. As mentioned earlier, the service has more than 480 million active users across the world, with the largest percentage located in china.

The service is attracting more subscribers because its language support feature has been customized to operate in 20 different languages (Jing, 2014). In addition, its machine translation service can translate messages from one language to another for effective communication. Features such as Friend Radar, Shake, and people nearby allow users to make new friends, which is an important feature for marketers (Gonzalez, 2014).

One of the most effective features of the app that can serve marketers efficiently is Moment. This feature allows users to post messages and read updates from their friends. For marketing purposes, merchants can post pictures of their products and add captions that provide additional information to their followers. This is an effective advertisement and marketing strategy. Users can also share this information with other users as individuals or groups (Gonzalez, 2014). The app also allows users to register under the public account option that allows them to send feeds to subscribers and communicate easily. WeChat can be used by merchants to send feeds regarding specific products to their followers and friends.

WeChat has an advanced payment platform that allows users to transact online and either buy or pay for merchandise (Rein, 2014). The service allows users to connect their bank accounts with their WeChat account and transfer money to their friends (Millward, 2014). However, the service is only applicable to users in China who have connected their credit or debit card to the app. Merchants can take advantage of this feature to conduct ecommerce.

WeChat launched the feature as part of its strategy to grow from a conventional text messaging service into a mobile wallet service. The money transfer service includes other services such as ecommerce, online taxi booking, online payments, purchase of movie tickets, purchase of coupons, and online personal finance fund (Millward, 2014). WeChat is competing with other online payment services such as Alibabas Alipay that has boosted the growth of the company significantly. The money transfer option is flexible because a user can either transfer money from their card to a WeChat wallet user or from one users WeChat wallet to another users wallet (Millward, 2014).

WeChat has grown its user base significantly since its launch in 2011. It is among the 10 most used social network services in the world. The table below shows how it compares to other social network services.

Table 1: Number of active users in millions as of march 2015 (Leading Social Networks Worldwide, 2015).

These statistics are proof that WeChat had grown rapidly since its founding four years ago. It has grown fast, primarily due to the high population of China. Currently, it is trying to extend its influence into the United States by using strategies such as gift cards and coupons (Rein, 2014). It is encouraging users to synchronize their Google and WeChat accounts in order to enjoy their various services. The expansion plan has been met with numerous obstacles because of the influence of other services such as LINE, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Research has established that the US market does not embrace instant messaging services as much as it embraces other services (Rein, 2014). Other instant messaging services that operate in the US have fewer subscribers compared to those in European and Asian countries. Despite this challenge, the app has a wide and growing market in Asia and Europe.

Conclusion

WeChat has a bright future because of its expansion plan that is targeting the American market. Its rapid growth in the past four years is proof enough that it is a preference among users around the world. It offers several features that attract people of all ages. For instance, its money transfer option is an effective way of sending money through its WeChat wallet or through a bank. The application is an effective marketing tool that has been very successful, as evident from its number of users. In terms of active users, it is rivaled by a few services that have been in existence more years than WeChat has.

It is highly likely that it will surpass all other social network services in the next five years if it succeeds in implementing its expansion plan, especially in the United States. Its success can be attributed to the high population of China that accounts for more than 400 million of its current active users. WeChats success and fame will soar after the introduction of its services to other markets around the world.

References

Ding, M., & Xu, J. (2014). The Chinese Way. New York, NY: Routledge. Web.

Gonzalez, F. (2014). WeChat 33 Success Secrets: 33 Most Asked Questions on WeChat-What You Need to Know. New York, NY: History Ink Books. Web.

Jing, Y. (2014). WeChat Aims to Grow in US Despite Obstacles. Web.

Leading Social Networks Worldwide as of March 2015, Ranked by Number of Active Users (in Millions). (2015). Web.

Millward, S. (2014). WeChat Users in China can Now Transfer Money to Each Other. Web.

Rein, S. (2014). The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Web.

Social network plays essential role in the modern life. One of the main functions this modern service performs is the information sharing. Remembering the Arab uprising, I saw how Twitter and Facebook were used for organizing protests, informing participants about the time and place and making stress on the desired outcomes of these protests. Having found many sources which support my ideas, I see that the use of Twitter and Facebook was important in the rise of so-called Arab Spring. Reading Huangs article Facebook and Twitter key to Arab Spring uprising: report, I came across the following statement, social networks played a critical role in mobilization, empowerment, sharing opinions and influencing change (Huang). Of course, the popularity of Twitter and Facebook cannot be rejected. If to see the number of new users of in the region during the Arab uprising, the increase by 30% during the first months of 2012 is seen compared to 18% of the same period in 2010 (Huang).

Considering different sources and searching for the information devoted to the issue, I noticed that social media was useful not only for protests supporters. Both sides of the conflict used social network in their personal needs. David Bailey, an expert on social media and the military, in Facebook, Twitter play key role in Syrian uprising article said that People are using all these social media platforms to influence audiences outside their country to support them; theyre getting quite aggressive with it (in Facebook, Twitter). I noticed that the information spread too fast, many countries reacted to the conflicts and made all possible to support the citizens and to implement the democracy in the region. The attention of the USA, the Great Britain and France was reflected not only online but via the interference into the national conflict (Cockburn). Reading Cockburns article I understood that the absence of the social platforms could prevent the spread of the information, therefore, the international interference would not be so intensive.

Reading Peter Beaumonts article, I agree with his defining image of the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa which he calls a young woman or a young man with a smartphone (Beaumont). I understood that the use of smartphones and the Internet was essential for the development of the information spread. Watching news I saw how people were occupied with the Internet activity, how they used all possible facilities for connection. Posting and reposting information, commenting others posts and sharing the data via the social platforms was one of the most powerful weapons in the protests in the Arab world. I read personal opinions online and saw how many people of different age commented on those opinions, supporting and criticizing those.

As I remember from the previous readings, government in Arab countries controls mass media and this control was intensified while the protests. Nevertheless, the Internet and social networking is difficult to control, therefore, the leakage of the information was inevitable (Gelvin 50). Gelvin in his article says that there are both supporters and skeptics of the social network importance in the Arab uprising. I followed the Internet and found many for and against arguments which confirmed this opinion.

Searching for the opinion of skeptics who did not believe in the importance of the social networking in the Arab upraising I came across Zuckerbergs point of view who said that Facebook was neither necessary nor sufficient for any of those things that happened. The thing that was both necessary and sufficient was a population of people who felt very strongly that change needed to happen (Zuckerberg). However, I could not agree as I saw on the internet how most of the Information was spread, and news channels offered just some of the official data.

Much useful information was spread vis Facebook and Twitter, it was obvious. This is not the first uprising in the region and this time it was successful (contrary to the previous attempts). The similar situation was in Libya in 90s when people were revolutionary directed, however, no one knew about that uprising (Singh). Lawson in his article The Arab uprisings stresses that Facebook and Twitter were the reasons of the success of the revolution. The attempt of Zuckerberg and some other scholars to refuse the importance of Facebook and Twitter in the latest Arab uprising cannot be considered seriously as everybody understands that the world popularity of the event, the world awareness of the latest news is the contribution of the mentioned above social networks. Every one who visits the Internet can see it.

Therefore, it should be concluded that most of the sources which dwell upon the role of Facebook and Twitter in the latest Arab uprising confirm the information about their exclusive importance. Social media informed the whole world about the events which happened in Arab countries from inside and the protestants were supported by the whole world from outside. Such information sharing is really important and, therefore, the crucial importance of Facebook and Twitter in the Arab uprising cannot be rejected.

Works Cited

Beaumont, Peter. The truth about Twitter, Facebook and the uprisings in the Arab world.The Guardian. 2011. Web.

Cockburn, Patrick. After the Euphoria: On the Arab Uprisings.The Nation. 2012. Web.

Facebook, Twitter play key role in Syrian uprising. The Times of India. 2012. Web.

Gelvin, James L. The Arab Uprisings: What Everyone Needs to Know, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.

Huang, Carol. Facebook and Twitter key to Arab Spring uprising: report.The National. 2011. Web.

Lawson, George. The Arab uprisings.Open Democracy. 2012. Web.

Singh, Anita. Ways with Words: role of Twitter and Facebook in Arab Spring uprising overstated, says Hisham Matar.The Telegraph. 2011. Web.

Zuckerberg, Mark. Mark Zuckerberg plays down Facebook role in Arab uprisings. The Telegraph. 2011. Web.

Value of Twitter and other forms of Social Networking tools

Social Networking tools used currently with the majority of individuals are:

• Twitter;
• Instagram;
• Facebook;
• Twoo;
• Yahoo Messenger;
• E.t.c.

Application in business

• Medium of advertising their products and services.
• Means of communicating to customers through responding to their complaints and suggestions.
• Means of establishing a personal relationship with the customers.
• Promotes brand loyalty as the customers feel the business cares for them.

Value Addition in business

• Reach clients not easily accessible through conventional methods of media adverts such as television and radio (Kadushin, 2012).
• A cheap means of advertising.
• Promotes timely feedback both on the advantages and disadvantages of their products.
• Ensures the business is in touch with the latest trends in the market.

Real life Application

Dell is believed to have generated more than $3m in incremental revenue through Twitter within a year (Social media: A tactical tool or a core business strategy, p.1).

Dell is a reputable electronics company, yet in some ways it has embraced the use of social networking sites; thus, this is a largely untapped potential goldmine that can add a lot of value to the business.

Doing away with social sites during working hours

• The most important question is whether or not the use of social networking sites should be done with or not?
• Also, are there benefits of allowing the use of social networking sites during working hours? If yes, what are they?
• What do other scholars think about this issue?

Arguments For and Against

• Most employees are young and techno conversant. Hence, they clearly understand the companys rules which require them to separate their personal lives and work.
• Employees may use the sites to find new information that leads to the increased revenues of the company.
• They also interact with their peers working for the competitors and thus get information about the latest trends in the market (Kadushin, 2012).
• They also learn new laws that are directly or indirectly related to the companys business and in this case the company is not justified to cut off this form of communication as it could lead to reduced sales and revenues of the company.
• There is also a remedy if the company believes employees are wasting time, then they should advocate for them to have two social networking accounts just as it is advocated by Alan Katzs, who finds the now-common practice of having multiple Facebook accounts, one personal and one business, to be a smart strategy for using the site (Galentine, p.2).
• It is also through the social media that we are able to research the different preferences of our potential customers or corporate companies.
• Thus, in the work process we are able to provide a service that suits them and meets their immediate and long term needs.
• Restricting access to social media from now henceforth, will banish us to offering services and products to our customers that they may not like. This will lead to dissatisfaction among the customers, and thus a reduction in revenues of our company.
• When a business does not understand its clientele then they may end up producing unfavorable products.

Analysis

• The increased number of companies that have their own social media sites that enable them to receive and reply customer feedback is evidence of the relevance of social networking in business.
• The companies also use the same sites to monitor and evaluate the behavior of their potential employees; they do this by monitoring their updates and comments.
• Thus, this saves the company from hiring controversial or troublesome staff.

Conclusion

• Embracing the use of Twitter and other social media tools is not only beneficial in terms of increasing the companys revenue and employee performance, but it is also relevant and valuable to the company itself.
• Hence, I am of the opinion that the companies should provide access to social media tools especially Twitter and Facebook during working hours.

References

Galentine, E. (2011). The art of social media success; with a background in both Employee benefits and politics, success was in the cards for Alan KatzsHealth care reform blog. Employee Benefit Advisor, 9(2), 1-32. Web.

Kadushin, C. (2012).Understanding social networks: Theories, concepts, and findings. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Social media: A tactical tool or a core business strategy. (2011). Drapers. Web.

The impact of social networking on the lives of individuals and societies

Social media is a vast form of interaction and communication which permeates every aspect of modern culture. As a matter of fact, the trend has become an integral part of human life in the contemporary world. Great milestones are being realised in the communication sector as modern technologies continue to evolve in every minute that passes.

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and MySpace are widely used across the world to enhance human interaction and communication (Ellison 2007). These social networking sites have emerged as reliable communication platforms for individuals, business organisations, celebrities, and government departments, thus amassing great recognition from allover the world.

These powerful technologies have continued to offer great benefits to humans in a number of ways. For example, the mediums have helped to change the way we interact with other people in life. More importantly, the social networking sites have continued to play a crucial role in helping people gain a better understanding of other cultures, retain and strengthen familial ties, and socialise with other people from allover the world.

Although people will tend to see social networking sites as flawless technological innovations, the sites can also bring negative impacts to individuals and societies. For example, the constant use of these social networking sites has brought profound issues to modern societies, organisations, and individuals.

Some of the bad effects that may tend to arise from the social networking sites include privacy issues, health matters, insecurity concerns, and social aspects. These mixed perceptions about the implications of social networking sites on individuals and societies have made the trend a controversial issue.

Whilst some people perceive social media as curse that has been send to the world in the name of technology, others will tend to see it as the best thing that has ever happened to human beings when it comes to communication and social matters.

Despite these mixed perceptions about social networking sites, it is quite clear that the positive impacts of social media platforms on individuals and societies can never be overestimated. There is no doubt that, the immense benefits realised from these newest technologies in communication have made us better off as individuals and as a society.

Enhancing Relationships and Reducing Communication Barriers

Communication has never been as effective as it is in present times, where the proliferation of social media technologies has made it possible for humans to effectively address the obstacles of space and time that can be found in various communication systems (Thompson 2013). As a matter of fact, it has never been easier for people to connect and interact with one another as it is today, thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, MySpace, and Instagram.

With these social networking websites, people can effectively communicate with their families and friends from any part of the world (Thompson 2013). In this respect, social networking makes it easier for people who live away from home get updated on the latest developments at home in the shortest time possible.

More importantly, the sharing feature of many social media sites has always allowed people to communicate their perceptions over various topics to the masses, thus making communication more convenient. As Haythornthwaite (2002, p. 392) observes, Social networking is a very crucial aspect when it comes to socialisation.

Through these platforms, people can easily connect with their friends from around the world who they are unable to meet on personal basis, and establish strong relationships that could bring mutual long-term benefits (Haythornthwaite 2002). As it would be observed, there has been a counter argument about social networking, and how it impacts peoples lives in society.

There are some people who tend to see social networking as a false sense of connection. In this regard, it would be hard for the users of social networking sites to draw the line between relationships fostered in the real world, and those formed over the internet (Kiss 2009). This argument has led to the claim that, people who spend much time in social media platforms are likely to withdraw from personal contact with other people around them, probably as a result of the addictive nature of the social networking sites.

This can result into selfishness and attention deficient, as people continue to pay more attention to social media sites, which have become a meaningful part of their life. However, there is no concrete evidence which has been provided to support the perception that spending much time in social networking sites can disengage people from their real-world activities and relationships with other people.

In that case, social networking is still that powerful tool which continues to bring profound benefits to social media users when it comes to enhancement of relations and reduction of communication barriers.

Development of Social Skills

Social networking sites improve the quality of peoples lives in many ways. For instance, through these interactive sites people are able to interact in manners that would be significant in enhancing social skills (Beaumont 2011). As a matter of fact, social websites can make the world small for the users, by exposing them to all kind of social engagements that would have been inaccessible through the normal ways of interaction.

Social media users, particularly the younger ones have come to see social networking as a reliable form of interaction which can be useful for all kind of social explorations (Bates 2012). The fact that social networking sites conceal peoples identities gives the users enough confidence to reveal themselves in a manner that they might not be comfortable with in real-life scenarios.

In this regard, users are likely to find themselves becoming less conscious of themselves and the people they interact with in various social networking mediums. This freedom is likely to compel the users to post personal content on the websites, with less concern on the kind of reactions they are likely to fetch.

Moreover, constant interaction with people of different ethnicities and cultures on social media platforms gives the users a perfect opportunity to develop key social skills. The main counter argument here, however, is that, social networking encourages the users to expose their identities and personal lives to strangers without the slightest idea of the type of implications this can bring to their lives.

Obviously, items posted on social networking sites are likely to remain there indefinitely and this can be a big threat to peoples privacy (Beaumont 2011). The internet is open to all sorts of people in the world, and some have no other intention, but to seek other peoples personal information and use it for all bad reasons.

More importantly, the information may be unattractive in the context of a business client or employer conducting a background investigation. Internet safety, however, is no longer a big worry these days, considering the fact that many social networking sites have introduced features that can allow users control the privacy of any personal information they post online (Waters et al. 2009).

Moreover, parents have constantly been urged to discuss internet security matters with their children as one way of ensuring that the latter have a better understanding of the many dangers that are likely to befall them if they carelessly put their personal details online for everybody to see.

In fact, online privacy can be guaranteed if the right procedures are followed. In this regard, social media has a great potential to remain as one of the most reliable technologies that can be useful in helping people advance their social skills (Bates 2012).

Social Networking as a Tool of Change

There is no doubt that social networking serves as a fast-class transformation medium in the modern world and also a powerful tool which can be used to change the world (Barras 2009). Obviously, social media is a cheap, convenient medium of communication through which huge masses of people can be reached within the shortest time possible.

This, however, explains the reason as to why politicians and other high profile people in the world would opt to use social media, whenever they intend to draw peoples attention to a particular issue of concern or when they are campaigning for elective positions.

Over the past few years, social media has become one of the most promising platforms of passing information to people, popularised by Facebook, Google, and MySpace applications, among other sites. These social networking sites have been used to pass important messages that would be intended to bring positive changes in peoples lives (Barras 2009).

This is evident in Barack Obamas decision to use social networking as the central mode of communication for his election campaign as US President. As it would be observed, Obamas massive recognition as a promising Presidential candidate was realised through social networking sites. This victory offered a strong evidence that social media platforms can really be used to bring positive changes in the world.

Similarly, social networking sites can be embedded in organisations to bring group members together. In this case, group or organizational leaders can post updates on Facebook and Twitter for the other group members to see, and this enhances organisational development and productivity (Philipson 2013).

However, the main drawback here is that, the same social networking sites that can be used to bring positive changes can also play a significant role in destroying the world. Online activism and violence against particular groups of people have been fueled through various mediums of the social media (Philipson 2013). Social networking sites have also continued to serve as key platforms for political demonstrations, protests, and uprisings.

A good example of how political activists have used the social media to carry out their missions can be observed in the events of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt where twitter and other social networking sites were used to raise concerns against bad governance and oppressive leadership in the hands of political dictators (Henley 2009).

Even though it is not possible to control the use of social media, interactive social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are significant portals that can be used to transform the entire social media environment, to ensure that it is used only for the right reasons.

As it is observed in this paper, social media has permeated in every sector of the modern world, as a significant medium through which people are able to communicate and interact with one another easily. It is apparent from this work that various social networking sites have continued to impact peoples lives in many ways.

This enormously successful medium of communication is observed to have changed peoples lives in diverse ways, thus being seen as the best thing which has ever happened in modern day communication. As it revealed in this paper, social networking sites are also associated with numerous negative implications that would tend to bring significant impacts to the lives of individuals and societies.

These positive and negative implications of social networking have continued to raise mixed thoughts and perceptions about whether the trend is good or bad for individuals and societies. As a result of these mixed perceptions, the truth on whether social networking sites have made a more positive or negative impact to people has emerged as a controversial subject across the world.

However, this paper has successfully made it clear that the benefits which individuals and societies continue to receive from social networking sites far outweigh the disadvantages.

Based on the observations of this paper, it is clear that the positive impacts of social media platforms can never be overestimated. In fact, the immense benefits realised from these newest technologies in communication have made us better off as individuals and as a society.

Reference List

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