Social Networking and Privacy

Unlike many students my age, social networking sites are not a prevalent part of my life. I do have a Facebook account that I check regularly, however, when I do log on it is only for a brief period of time. I use the site to stay in contact with friends who have moved around the country and not much else. Outside of Facebook I am completely disconnected from all other social network sites. I have never looked at the Twitter website and have never even heard of FourSquare until now. I realize that this is not typical for teenagers but I prefer to interact with my friends in person as opposed to online. I do use my cell phone extensively, especially texting, as a substitute to social networks to stay in touch with the people around me. The social shift towards social networking is undeniable. Our society is moving into a more technologically advanced age and it will continue to do so. I believe that this can be a positive trend if people are properly educated on how to take advantage of the opportunities that these sites provide, while being conscious of their drawbacks. 

Constant access to information does result in a loss of privacy to some extent. Once something is posted on the internet it can never be truly erased. This is where the danger lies with social network sites like Twitter and Facebook. Children and teenagers  can easily become trapped by this unfamiliar concept. An inappropriate written post or picture on a Facebook wall can quickly turn from an innocent joke to something that alters an individuals life. A friend of mine was tagged in numerous photos after a night of partying. Nothing bad happened that night, however she now appeared in pictures containing alcohol and recreational drugs that were uploaded to the internet. Weeks later her employer happened across these photos and decided that the company did not want an employee who exposed herself to these types of situations. She was terminated the following day. Obviously had she known the end result of these photos being displayed she would have told her friend to leave them off of Facebook. Unfortunately as college students we rarely consider the long term implications of our actions on social networking sites. They blur the line between private and public information. Only those that are properly educated will be able to avoid the drawbacks of these new technologies. 

This being said, I personally believe that the benefits of the new technologies outweigh the downsides exponentially. If used properly these sites allow people to share  information across the globe with a click of the mouse. They can be used to create new business, bring about social change, political change, maintain friendships, create new friendships, and support groups. This list could go on and on. The internet connects us like nothing else in the world. As we have read and seen first hand, the possibilities that the internet will afford us as a whole are endless. As long as people are aware of the dangers and know how to avoid them this new social shift will remain positive.