#Week3: The Cons of Social Networking Sites

So I bet that you are currently using Facebook or Twitter or whatever kind of social networking site (SNS) while reading this entry. Hmmm if so, *high-five*, me too! Welcome to the age of multitasking!

Just few years ago, the idea of online social network was revolutionary, an incredible milestone of the 21^st century. Thanks to the advent of Web 2.0, we have finally been able to connect to the world via numerous interactive platforms such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Twitter, and especially Facebook. Even though the aforementioned networking sites have significantly altered our lifestyles (i.e.: it’s rare that you don’t own a Facebook account in today’s world!) and offered us precious experiences that we couldn’t have chances to encounter during the Web 1.0 era (i.e.: hangout with friends on Google Hangouts!), we still need to take into consideration several drawbacks that social networking sites may bring. 

And today i'll guide you through this!

Privacy and Security Issues:

It can’t be denied that in order to socialize on any social networking site, we need to at least volunteer some basic personal information about us so that our folks will recognize and accept our friend requests. Simple as it may sound, we just, at the same time, also make it easier for identity thefts to sneak into our account, hack our profile, and even steal our financial statement. Hence, since every site allows us to edit the privacy settings, we should ensure that our account is perfectly secured. In other words, being able to gain a great control on who can get access to our online contents is a must for every today’s Internet user. More importantly, to efficiently protect ourselves from curious strangers, we should avoid revealing too much private information regarding our personal life too! *good luck with that!*

Hinder Real-life Social Skills:

Taking Facebook as an example, Facebook is fun, but imagine investing too much time in it…you are facing a serious problem!

I bet when Facebook started to dominate social media, many of us were sort of addicted to it where we dedicated most of our time posting status, photos, or scrolling nonstop to update our friends’ news, etc,… Personally, I find it normal since Facebook, which satisfies our need of social belongings, is obviously tempting. However, if becoming too addictive, it is a sign that we are apparently neglecting the more important parts of life – our family, real friends, and colleagues. In fact, as we engage too actively in virtual relationships on Facebook and forget to spend quality time with those who are really close by, our face-to-face real-life relationships will surely be sink and our social skills will eventually be eroded.

Note that the problem is much severe for youngsters who are at a time of their life, when they should be developing the subtle interaction and social skills that they will need in their future working life. Without these essential skills, they will certainly be struggled *sad*.

SNS Can Be a Real Distraction

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Social sites bring us joy, so much more than what we actually need. Sometimes, many of us seem to devote much time on social networking activities and forget that we can’t live in that virtual community forever. However, life goes on and no one can wait for us to finish updating newsfeeds. Thus, we should be actively spend quality time on doing something more productive such as studying or even cleaning our room instead. Just think of social sites as rewards, I mean we will definitely feel so much content facebooking or twittering especially when we have finished all of our work right?! So don’t let SNS be our distraction, let it be our prize!

BOTTOM LINE ~

Pros and cons are like 2 sides of the coin; they always come hand in hand. The rule applies here as well. There are pros as well as cons of the social networking site but it all depends on how we use it. If we are well aware of the consequences that SNS may bring, then congratulations - we still have control over our life. However, if not, then SNS will then be a curse that hunts us forever. So be careful, stay safe, and enjoy what the technology has to offer.

And that’s it for this week. Signing off now. Bye byeee!