Is Social Networking Good For Society?
Irma Barrios
Brandman University

Is Social Networking Good for Society? With various ongoing debates about why social networking may be bad for society, I have found it to be a positive resource. Social networking comes in many forms. It comes in the form of facebook, twitter, and even professional forums such as Linkedin. In such a fast-paced world, I find social networking to be an invaluable way of sharing ideas and interests that allow me to remain engaged. Although some may debate that social networking takes away from face to face and/or quality interactions, I have found it to be an invaluable tool in building community and networks. In fact, I believe it has given us a more
Other critics have the preconceived notion that the time people spend in front of a computer on social sites is time taken away from other positive aspects in life such as exercising or attending events in person. As you can see there are many reasons why critics of social networking believe it is bad for our society, yet the powerful effects of online social interaction seem to outweigh what can be misconceptions or fears. Sharon Jayson, the author of the article published in USA Today entitled “Flocking behavior lands on social networking sites” (Jayson, 2009) finds that social networking influences human behavior regardless of it occurring face to face or online. In her article she quotes Claude Fischer, a sociology professor at University of California-Berkeley, “Those of us who study social networks believe they matter – that things do spread along social networks.” She adds that Nicholas Christakis, a physician and Harvard University sociologist states, “In many ways, human beings behave like flocks of birds or schools of fish.” She shares the observations by James Fowler, a social scientist at the University of California-San Diego, and Christakis, “Whether they’re face-to-face or virtual social networks influence human behavior and shape everything from finance to the way people vote.” Since it is human nature to belong to a group, one can see how “joining” twitter, facebook or Linkedin groups is a natural part of