BLOG SOCIAL NETWORKING

     "Two little words — “social networking” — have become a giant buzzphrase over the past couple of years" said Stephen J. Dubner in his article "Is MySpace Good for Society? A Freakonomics Quorum". We use social networks for millions of reasons: to chat with friends, to make new friends, to find a job, to share professional or personal experience, to gain some valuable information or just to entertain ourselves.

     Social networking sites such as Facebook started as a tool of communication between individuals, but today most of profit and non-profit companies have their page on Facebook. And any post on a Facebook from one company by another made by an individual means he represents that company, so technically speaking it's a post from one group of people to another. Also government actively uses social networking for communication with citizens and with the whole world. Our president also uses tweeter to express himself to the whole world. And I agree with  Stephen J. Dubner that the benefits provided by social network sites such as Facebook have made us better off as a society and as individuals, and that, as they continue to be adopted by more diverse populations, we will see an increase in their utility.

     But social networking also has as dark sides. I think that the major problem is that social networking becomes equal to virtual reality. Slowly it leads us to limit our communication in person to communication online. Hilary Stout wrote in her article "Antisocial Networking?" that half of American teenagers  send 50 or more text messages a day and that one third send more than 100 a day. Two thirds of the texters said they were more likely to use their cellphones to text friends than to call them. Fifty-four percent said they text their friends once a day, but only 33 percent said they talk to their friends face-to-face on a daily basis. Which means that today only third of future generation prefer to meet in person with friends. My opinion it is absolutely wrong and sad. May be technology changes the meaning of word friend. Is it just another profile on a Facebook? Or it is a person who you want to see and with who you want to spent your time. I believe that if you don't want to spent your time with friends, may be they just not your friends. I'm not taking in considerations when your friends are thousands miles away from you.

     Nevertheless you can successfully use social media for awareness of your cause, fundraising, community growth, engagement, and more. Just use it wisely.