There is an undeniable lack of physical interaction that comes with social networking. In some cases, this is a good thing.
According to John Pate, assistant professor of communication at California Baptist University, when we have people using Facebook the right way, we are in good shape and it can be a great tool.
It can be a convenient source for getting a hold of somebody, if they are not answering or do not have a phone, shoot them a message on Facebook and they will instantly receive it when they log in.
“I like the ease of use of it all. The fact that I can be sitting at my computer wherever I may be and interact with someone halfway across the world is an awesome feat,” Jacob Armstrong, freshman, said.
It can even unite friendships between old friends. There is a search engine to find all of those old pals from back in the day, without having to physically get up the nerve to say something to them.
Prayer chains have been started using Facebook, where the masses are informed of a certain situation and prayer is spread.
Apart from having personal friends, it is great for marketing businesses and creating educational groups.
Since social networking is in the cloud, it enables networking with thousands of people, which in normal day life it is impossible and exhausting to personally contact.
On the other hand, the ease of communication can sometimes make it too easy for people to do or say things that they would not normally say or do without realizing the consequences.
“Social Networking sometimes gives us an avenue not to face somebody when in actuality they should have a face to face meeting,” Pate said.
Also, posting personal business on Facebook can create drama, relationship drama, friend drama and even family drama.
Junior Justine Arocha sees using Facebook to break up is just a “cop-out.”
“Confrontation is uncomfortable; but it is a lesson we all need to learn,” Arocha said.
“In personal interaction, you get facial expressions, voice inflection, and you can touch the person. I’m a very touchy feely person, and being able to touch them while talking is very important to me. makes me feel connected to them,” Courtney Upshaw, freshman, said.
According to BBC News, Aric Sigman said websites such as Facebook set out to enrich social lives but end up keeping people apart.
“Evidence suggests that a lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance.”
So at the end of the day, it seems social networking can be great as long as it is not used erratically.
