September 7, 2011 Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have affected many people’s lives both positively and negatively. With new developments come new dangers associated with it. Parents have different views about social networking sites, and the electronic medium changed the way we communicate with each other. It’s also affected my writing in the classroom. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have dangers associated with them such as exposing your life on the internet. People who have Facebook and MySpace tend to put a lot of information about themselves on the website where anyone can read this information such as your name, age, where you live, and many other things. They can use this data to gain insight into your life and to gain your attention. From this, people known as “creepers” are born. “Creepers” are people who stalk your profile and everything that have to do with you, and on some occasions, they can become dangerous; especially if they come in contact with you. Another danger that has to do with “creepers” is that they can learn where your favorite hangouts are and surprise you and can potentially do something to hurt you. One substantial danger, a major problem on the internet, is people pretending to be who they are not. This is a parent’s worst nightmare: their children potentially talking to dangerous people. You think you’re talking to someone but in reality it could be someone else. Especially younger kids chatting with people who they feel are the same age as they are. From these risks, if I were a parent, I wouldn’t allow my child to use these websites until I felt they were responsible enough. As for an age, I would say 16-17 would be ideal. It may be difficult to keep them away until that age so as a parent I have to instill responsibility in them so they know how to act in different situations. As time goes on, social networking sites will continue to be a part of people’s lives and the dangers will continue to be there. People will have to learn to minimize the risks and dangers in order to use these social websites care-free. The electronic medium has changed the way we communicate with each other: it’s a lot easier to keep in touch with one another. Some people may be shy to talk with others face to face but over the internet that shyness seems to go away and the fear is minimized. Also, social networking sites can be used to break the ice. They can also be used to start a conversation to get to know the person so that when you do see them face to face, it’s easier to spark up conversation. In grade 11, I started to like this girl that I would see in school. I started talking to her online and we realized we had a lot in common. We talked a lot and it carried on when we were at school. By talking online, it made it easier for us to interact with one another and eventually we became a couple. We’re still together to this day and I’m grateful for the opportunity of online messaging to help break the ice. Without it, who knows where Jordyn and I would be today.
For myself, I think Facebook has made me more open. People know certain things about me which they read on my profile and they use those things to start a conversation. The same goes for when I’m talking to someone after viewing their profile. After talking to someone online, I use that experience when talking to them offline. It’s as if it’s the same thing only we’re face to face and response times are quicker but generally the same type of conversation takes place.
The writing people do on Facebook is different from writing in the classroom because of the slang used online. When talking online, the spelling of words is usually not correct such as “prolly” which is short for probably; some include a number in it such as “st8” meaning “straight”, and abbreviated words such as “lol” which means laugh out loud. Personally I don’t use online writing and bring it into the classroom because it’s not