Social networking is taking over the world. Before Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and many other social networking sites came out, we as a society would gather for block parties and get together with friends that we had not seen for awhile more. Now, we feel more connected to those people through social networking sites, such as the ones listed above. It is not a bad thing that we have the advantage to instantly talk with them more often, but that does put an effect on us getting together with them more often. The fact that we have the advantage at the tip of our fingertips to keep in touch with friends and loved ones is amazing how far we have come with technology, but we need to make sure it does not put a damper on our communication skills.
It is so easy to just post a quick memo on someone’s Facebook wall or send them a message when you need to let them know something or you have a question for them, instead of calling them. In a message or post you are more likely to just get to the point and ask what you want instead of like on the phone. On the phone it is very easy to rack up an hour conversation with someone, when you called to ask one simple question. I feel that on social networking sites, people sometimes do not communicate as much as they did before all these sites came out.
There is a flip side, though I believe too. Such sites as Facebook and others is not always a bad thing. They do let people find long lost friends and relatives and keep in touch with them, which is a great thing. I am guilty of using social networking sites more often than calling people as much. An example would be telling someone happy birthday. I used to call people to tell them that, now I just write it and maybe a little message on their wall. Social networking is great to use as long as it is used in moderation.
It is so easy to just post a quick memo on someone’s Facebook wall or send them a message when you need to let them know something or you have a question for them, instead of calling them. In a message or post you are more likely to just get to the point and ask what you want instead of like on the phone. On the phone it is very easy to rack up an hour conversation with someone, when you called to ask one simple question. I feel that on social networking sites, people sometimes do not communicate as much as they did before all these sites came out.
There is a flip side, though I believe too. Such sites as Facebook and others is not always a bad thing. They do let people find long lost friends and relatives and keep in touch with them, which is a great thing. I am guilty of using social networking sites more often than calling people as much. An example would be telling someone happy birthday. I used to call people to tell them that, now I just write it and maybe a little message on their wall. Social networking is great to use as long as it is used in moderation.
I miss the old days where I'd actually go to a person's house to talk to them (I've never liked talking on the phone...). I sometimes think people have taken advantage of such a great tool. I, like you, see the advantages of Facebook as a great way to keep in touch with friends who live far away. That's one of my favorite things about social networking sites, but I also think it takes away from our face-to-face communication skills. I also just say, "Happy birthday," on Facebook instead of in person. If I know the person really well, I'll call, but often times I don't. I hope we don't become too dependent on social networking, though. I still like that I can go to my friends' houses and watch movies and hang out with them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that using social networking sites and being consumed by them are on opposite sides of a very fine line. Just like when keyboarding courses became a part of most schools’ curriculum, people voiced concern that children would forget how to write. Now we find ourselves voicing the concern about our children forgetting how to use their voice, because their fingers can talk just as well for them.
ReplyDeleteI think these new technologies should be taught and used in the classroom and in the home, but we have to be careful not to overplay their importance. Yes, it’s “important” to have a Facebook account so you can find long lost friends, but it is also important to know how to write those friends a letter with proper grammar and punctuation. We cannot sacrifice all our professional skills and abilities for the sake of the newest technological fad…
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