Introduction

A social network is an online site that focuses on and builds the social relations among people who may be having common interests or are involved in common activities. In these networks, the users create profiles, his or her personal social link and put any other information. Most of these social networks are based on websites and offers means of interaction for the users through the internet. This can be through emails or instant communication in the form of a chat. Generally, this is an online community where the members of this community share ideas, events and declare their interests within this network. Members of these networks may be former or current classmates or workmates. However, various researchers have expressed different ideas regarding the social networks. Some feel that they are helpful while others express worries concerning the use of these networks.

Advantages of social networks

According to Bernhard Warner (pp4), social networks wastes a lot of time for students and the working people but this time also has its good outcomes. High school students as well as the university students have been found to spend some of their school time in visiting the social networks. Some of these students visit the networks while the lesson is going on. This trend has been enabled by availability of laptops to the school kids and the Wifi-enabled campuses. Mobile phones are also enabling the students to visit these networks. Generally, most of the students spend considerable time of their school work in visiting these networks. However, apart from wasting the time, these networks have enabled the students to get acquainted with the external social world while still in school. The high school students are able to connect with others from different schools and are able to share experiences. These experiences may be in academic work and also in social life and they enable them to tackle some of their school problems. The students are also able to interact with non-students who may be having great ideas to inspire them.

Through these networks, the university students have been able to meet potential employers or people who may direct them to potential employers. They have also been able to learn more about their courses to those experienced in their fields. Some

employers may find important information in the profile and may get interested in working with such a person. In such a case, the network connects the student with the employer. Employees who are not satisfied in their current jobs may also meet new employers who may be more fulfilling. They may also learn of new production methods that may be applied to their organizations and improve on the productivity. Generally, social networks help people to meet others who may be of help to their current situations (Degenne, 132). Problems associated with social networks

Problems with social networks have been identified on the issues of wasting time and privacy matters. However beneficial it may be to the students, they tend to spend more time that they may have used in their class work. The social networks are very addictive and they may lead to deterioration in the class performance of the students. This is very harmful especially to the high school students who get most of the information from their teachers. When they start visiting the social networks in the midst of lessons, they miss what the teacher is saying and it may be difficult to understand it later. This is unlike the university students who may read for themselves better. Employees are also wasting time that they could be using on important work while visiting these networks. This may therefore reduce the productivity of the organization.

According to Martha Irvine (pp10), her main worry when it comes to social networks is its lack of privacy protection. She gets worried over the many online scandals and problems. However much one may wish to maintain privacy of his or her profile information, people have come up with applications where friends can create pages, post information about their interests and also their photos. On these applications, one can post his or her information and whoever want to se the information must download the application. Therefore, all those having the application can access each other's information. The main problem here is that one can use another person's identity to commit a crime or to post offensive information in these networks. Some people may also post dirty information on these networks which may sound offensive to some group of people. For example, some people post matters of sex on these sites and this may not be good to the school going kids.

My opinion

In my opinion, the benefits of the social networks outweigh the problems. The benefits are beneficial to the students and others who may be involved in them. High school students are learning things that may be of benefit to their future lives while the university students are able to meet the prospective employers through the social networks. Therefore, considering both sides of social networks, their benefits are more than the associated problems.

Conclusion

Social networks are widely used by many people in the world. Their use sis associated with various benefits to both the high school students, university students as well as other people in the world. These social networks have enabled the students improve on their creativity and for university students to meet potential employers. However, some problems associated with them include lack of privacy and waste of tome. But considering both sides, the advantages are more than the problems.

The Effects of Social Networking upon Society

Social networking is a tool used by people all around the world. Its purpose is to promote and aid communication. However, this type of technology might be doing more harm than good. It is not only changing how we communicate, but how we interact with each other in daily life. Sarah Zay, of USA Today, stated that With the rise of websites such as Facebook, social networking may be on the verge of replacing traditional personal interactions for the next generation (1).Traditional interactions will continue to be at risk if we dont realize the effects of our social media. Social networking affects our lives in many ways, including our communication, self- expression, bullying, isolations, friendships, and even our very own sense of humanity.

Social networks, such as Facebook, were created for the sole purpose of helping individuals communicate. There are many other reasons that these technologies are used, but communication is still the number one. Many people use these networks to talk to their friends in other cities, states, or even other countries. There are many situations that do not allow the use of telephones; this is why social networking is preferable by many. These networks not only allow communication between friends, but allow you to meet new people. Similarities and common friends can create new bonds. This allows ones social circle to expand. If you ask around how people think social networking affects them, many will say that they, Have an expanded circle of social connections, and stay in touch more (PC Magazine Online 2).These networks are becoming the modern way to make friends. These new friends communicate through these networks. However, standard communication is not the only way this social technology is used.

On these networking sites, users normally create pages that represent them in some way. They post pictures of themselves and their friends. Their friends comment on these photos. This concept seems simple enough, but its use is very different depending on the age of the user. Adults are known to be more mature about what they post and how they interact online. It is more likely that adults would, Use their prof ile pictures as a way of casually showing themselves, their family, or possibly a recent trip they took (USA Today 1). This is a reasonable way of representing yourself online. Teenagers, however, use this new technology in a way that could be dangerous. In this stage of their lives, they care more about their need to impress their peers than mature reasoning.

Teenagers gain popularity through the interesting pictures they post. Comments that are left on their pages mean more to them than actual words. In order to get the results they want, they try to get a reaction from controversial images of themselves. This adolescent need to be cool leads to gross amount of young girls and boys attempting to impress one another by showcasing themselves in mature situations or displaying their physique. For instance, many pictures that teenagers post online reveal underage drinking, smoking, and partying(USA Today 1-2).

These explicit pictures are very harmful to the user. Posting inappropriate pictures are demeaning and damaging reputations. The self-expression used on these networks should stay age appropriate. Users will receive more respect if they stick to pictures of their last vacation, birthday party, or field trip.

With so many teens using social networking, it has become easier to target one another. Cyber bullying is a form of bullying that is only done through the web and other technologies. Social networks make it worse for the victims. Bullying is difficult in person and even harsher over the internet. When cruel comments are posted on an individuals page, anyone can see them. However, on the networks no one is there to witness the attack. This makes it harder for a victim to ask for help. The bully has an easier job insulting the other because there is no threat of getting caught by a close adult. These kinds of social attacks are harmful. All types of bullying are wrong, though cyber bullying might be the worst yet. The victims are vulnerable online and the insults made towards them deadlier because computers mask faces and the majority of insults, threats, and taunting go on without repercussion. There often is no make-up or apologies, because no one witnesses the harmful effect the words may carry (USA Today 2). Teenagers must understand that bullying is always wrong. It does not matter if the victim cannot see them; it is still immoral and disrespectful. Social sites should be used to communicate with each other but not to torment each other in the comfort of ones own home.

With the constant use of these social technologies, less people are communicating in person. Many people are becoming more isolated due to the lack of personal interaction. It is becoming easier to go through life with less personal confrontations and conversations. Many people are becoming used to only conversing through their computer. This trend has continued and lead to an, Interesting number of developing

adults that function well in a keyboard setting while failing at human interaction (PC Magazine Online 2). The failing of human interaction is a horrible result of this new technology. Without person-to-person interaction we will lose our language skills and have trouble with public speaking. Normal debates and confrontations will be made more difficult due to the inability to read one anothers body language. This is not healthy for our development because Humans are social animals who need to have regular interaction with others to experience the full benefits of socialization and lead a balanced life (Current Issues 2). This kind of isolation is degrading towards our society because it is necessary to be personable. If we continue to be isolated than all of our communication skills will drop lower than they already are. These new communication sites were made to improve communication, not destroy it.

These social networks allow an individual to have thousands of friends. However, these supposed friends are really no more than strangers. On these web sites we allow strangers onto our page for petty reasons, such as having the same taste in music or movies. We spend more time with these people online, when we should be spending time with our real life friends that weve known for years. This lack of dedication to our real life friends leads to shallower friendships. Many people care for their Facebook friends, but they dont even know what their lives are like. Many of those people will know what fifteen of their friends had for breakfast, but dont know whether any of them are struggling with major life issues (PC Magazine Online 2). This is a common occurrence in online friendships now.

Many dont even realize that they have ruined their other friendships. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we create connections with people who we dont know, or even care about? It all stems from, an underlying fear of being alone. Social networks may form shallow friendships but the connection makes you feel as if you are not alone (Our Media, Ourselves 2). This fear is why we allow ourselves to act against our brains and our hearts. Friendship is about being there for each other and being able to tell each other about important issues. It is not about who comments on Facebook quicker.

The constant use of this kind of technology is harmful to us as a whole and to our humanity. When we contact one another through these sites we are limiting ourselves. When you use networks like Facebook, youre representing yourself on a database.

Then you live according to that database. You fill in checkmarks saying this is what Im interested in, this is who I am, this is the music I want to hear, and you become a caricature of yourself(University Declares a Week Without Social Media 3).This kind of representation lowers us and our humanity. We are known only as what we write on our pages. Our humanity is what lets us be ourselves. We have the right to control what we say and do, We invent ourselves, and we invent our own taste. We decide what friendship means, and furthermore, we intend to make a living because were not subordinate (University Declares a Week without Social Media 3). This is what makes us who we are and communication is a large part of that. If we stop making our own choices than weve lost what it means to live and be human. We should be able to tell each other about ourselves in person and make real friends. These social networks have damaged many things, but they cannot be allowed to harm our humanity.

Although many people around the world use social networking, it should only be used as a tool. Social networking aides long distance communication greatly but there must be a stopping point. It cannot become our main form of communication and interaction. There are positives to this new technology but nowhere do these positives outweigh the negatives. If we continue overusing the aid of these sites, then it will keep effecting our communication, self-expression, bullying, isolation, friendship and humanity in negative ways. There is nothing that can substitute for personal interaction. Social networking is the problem and we must eliminate its overuse for the sake of our fut

Social Networking Sites like Facebook Made the World a Better Place Appearing on the world stage in 2003, Facebook has revolutionized the average persons social network into an unprecedented web of information available in the palm of a hand. With just a few clicks or taps on ones mobile app, one can meet people, see friends from high school and even make contacts with potential business interests. Unfortunately, social networking sites like Facebook have not made the world a better place because it is a waste of time for the user. As time is important to people, it can be better spent doing productive things, beneficial for ones life. As the old adage goes, time is of the essence, and if it is not used wisely, the consequences are never good. Social networks have become more than just connections with people, they have accumulated add-ons like Farmville, Mafia Wars and other games in order to keep users entertained. In these games, the user plays for virtual money, often spending many hours each day building farms and collecting sheep and other animals. With millions of users signed-up for such add-ons, it is not hard to deduce that they are wasting millions of hours each day decorating farms and collecting garden tools. It is, however, true that if used right, the site can connect users with people of same interests, thus building a name for a person, if s/he is a writer for example. Nevertheless, a few possible connections with someone one may or may not know, are not enough to justify endless periods of brain-numbing activity, that lead one to a few more points and virtual coins on a virtual farm with virtual food and animals. Farms and animals, however, are not the only roadblock for the progress of a society. With millions of people on-board, their pictures, in mostly public profiles are available for everyone to view. With the more attractive profiles getting most of the viewing, like before, countless hours are spent looking at pictures of total strangers posing for their perfect Myspace or Facebook photo. Of course, one can argue that this is just another leisure activity, in which people are just letting off some steam. It definitely could be helpful to get ones mind off of a few things, however, like with anything else thats addictive, it is hard to put the mouse down and not pay attention to the next hot guy or girl in the Friends list on someones page. But the friends are not the only issue, new forms of media have emerged, thus attracting more and more users. The current situation has reached a point, where YouTube videos and other entertainment media are also connected to the social networks, which entices users to stay connected and online for greater periods of time. As the country faces an obesity epidemic, the chair in front of ones computer, has replaced the couch, in a way,

transforming the new user from a couch potato, into a slouched, pic-addicted imbecile, procrastinating and missing life as it passes him/her by. Therefore, as opposed to going outside, enjoying sunshine and good weather, getting exercise and keeping the body and mind in shape, users are harming themselves with unergonomic positions, often lasting for hours. Of course, one can argue that people have found soul mates, long-lost relatives and friends they havent seen for years, which are all within themselves great, but it neglects the fact that for a few such cases, greater amounts of people are wasting time with the above-mentioned virtual activities. For some, time is money, for others it has unfortunately become a commodity with advertising dollars and virtual world games clambering for it. The user of social networks has become a bastion for revenue for some, while s/he spends countless hours each day, playing virtual world games, looking at pictures as well as videos in cramped conditions inside a home. Instead of using their time to get fresh air, exercise or read a book, users waste it online. With only small numbers actually using these sites in a productive way like professional connections or finding long-lost friends or relatives, the social network experiment has not made the world a better place, on the contrary it has made it worse by stealing time from the users.

Social Media, An Essay In 2003, Mark Zuckerberg co-created a new definition for connectivity in his Harvard dorm roomHe called it Facebook. He gave people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Today, 500 million users worldwide are connected via this open worldthe social networking site, Facebook. Twitter connects over 100 million users and over 200 million are tied through MySpace. There are only 308.4 million citizens living in the United States. There are more users connected to Facebook than there are citizens in America. Society, through social networking sites, has created a new way of maintaining and creating relationshipsof staying connected and it all takes place online. Its casual. Connectivity and access to social networks are simply part of life. We do not even recognize the dependency we have on technology and the amount of time we dedicate to these social networking sites or to what extent it has taken the place of our everyday actionslike saying hello on someones Facebook wall as opposed to giving that someone, your mother, a call. We surrender ourselves to technology. We let machines do what we use to with our hands and with our voice. Now, we express ourselves in 140 characters or less. We exist in two partsin person and online. Its simple. You are not connected if you are not online. This notion of connectivity is thoroughly illustrated in Our Connected World, an editorial cartoon by David Horsey published April 09, 2009. Horseys opinion on the impact of social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace is portrayed thoroughly through his rhetorical use of language, sarcasm, and humor in the cartoons dialogue. Visually, through the use of contrasting colors, a sepia tone background and variations of the backgrounds, Horsey brings to light the effects of our connected world the effects that society so easily misses because technology is slick. We depend so deeply on technology to do the thinking for us that we rarely step back and consider what we think of technology, like Horsey illustrates his opinion in his cartoon. In the cartoon, a young man is yelling at a woman wondering where she had been. He checked his email, his text messages, her blog, her Facebook and he just couldnt find her. For the five minutes that her Twitter was idle, she was. As if she only existed online, Horsey recognizes that effect of social networking sites and illustrates that not only in his characters conversation, but also in the background. The top portion of the cartoon is white. Its blank. It represents the sad fact that she didnt exist until he checked her twitter. Only after he saw that she tweeted her whereabouts did that background come

into the cartoon. The illustration reflects a social perception that if you are not on Facebook, you do not exist Its like you fell off the face of the earth! Our dependence on this Facebook created state of being connected has changed that face of the earth into status updates on your wall, tweets, emails and blog posts. Social networking sites are the new face of the earth. They are the face of what it means to be connected. Horseys use of a sepia tone background could simply represent his desire to have the characters stand out, or maybe it plays a role much deeper. The use of sepia tone in the illustration may symbolize the notion that the world around us is dull without technology. Color represents life and life in this editorial cartoon only exists onlinewhen the characters are connected. The device they are using to connect online is in full color, but the world around them is pale. Horseys use of color is a part of his rhetorical strategyit supports the claim he illustrates. Online, we create this digital presence that acts as an extension of ussometimes as a surrogate to our physical capabilities. Though the message is the same, the medium is different. Tweets have replaced the common handshake. An email has taken the place of a simple phone call and relationships are not official until updated on Facebook. In the case of Horseys cartoon, instead of telling her friend where she went, she tweeted it. Its simple, but it represents a complex theory. These prominent social networking sites have redefined usour way connecting to one another and communicating with each other. Horsey was precise in his rhetorical strategy for this cartoon. He wanted to prove a point and he chose his words with determination. The woman tweeted, Upstairs. Going to the bathroom. Be back in 5. Horsey gave her those words for a reason. He gave her the simplest activityto depict the idea that we, as a society, use technology in every aspect of our life. By being connected, we must tell the world everything that we are doing, when we are doing iteven when it is just simply going to the bathroom. Knowing what other people in your social network are doing is a captivating feature of social networking sites. It is connectivity. More than 500 million users are connected online, and the characters in Horseys cartoon represent those 500 million social networked consumers. Technology consumes us. It is starting to replace us. It does our work for us and we give it permission to. Society has become Google-educated and Facebook dependent. We rely on Facebook notifications and Twitters trending topics to communicateto connect with our social network. When users create an online profile, upon hitting log on, we submit our control

to technologyour voice to html text and status updates. Our connected world is an online one. It grays out the rest of our lifeour background becomes sepia tone and we depend on these social networking sites to exist for us. Youre not connected if you are not online. Its like you fell off the face of the earth! Facebook created a new definition for connectivity. Twitter, email and MySpace redefined communication. Its easy.

EFFECTS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES ON TODAYS YOUTH

20OCT Times have surely changed. The world has been made flat by the World Wide Web. Today, we live in a world where contacting someone, sharing our journeys as well as our thoughts is just one click away. Social networking sites are now available to cater to ones immediate social needs. These networking sites have made it possible for us to

chat with friends who live in distant places as well as share with them pictures and videos of whatever we are up to instantly. Today, it is very hard to find a teenager who doesnt have a Yahoo, a Gmail, a Facebook, or a Twitter account which they use to keep in touch with friends, to express or share what they have in mind and to use for schoolrelated purposes. No doubt, Social Networking Sites are of great help in the youths daily life; however, it has positive and negative effects which depend on how a person will utilize it. As we all know, the youth of today would use social networking sites in order to pour out all their ideas and emotions. They would post or tweet anything that they have in mind as well as like or share posts, pictures or links which they think are interesting. All these activities may be a teenagers way of releasing stress. It is also one way for sharing with others different knowledge which are not taught in school by sharing links, pictures or videos about details of a place, a thing, or a topic which has been overlooked during a discussion in class. They can even use these to cheer up friends who just had a bad day by posting something funny and then tagging their friends. Also, letting the youth share whats in their mind in a public area can serve as a remedy for tim idity because it helps them get used to telling people what they think on a certain topic. Indeed, the youth are able to benefit from this feature of social networking sites; however, there are also negative effects which go with this. There are certain studies which show how that excessive expression of thoughts can lead to turning our youth vain and egocentric. There are those who would take pictures of themselves just to post them in Facebook while there are others who tweet every action, every activity that they are doing on Twitter. Its as if they are documenting their lives using these siteslike using them as their public diaries. Aside from this, there are also those people who post negative things about people whom they have had conflicts with. There are a lot of people who do not think thoroughly about what they are about to post. They tend to prioritize what they feel than the effects of the act that they are about to do. Cyber bullying also emerged because of this. There are those who blackmail people by threatening them that they would post something embarrassing regarding that person if they dont abide by what the cyber bully wants. Apart from expressing ideas and emotions, the youth use these sites in order to communicate with other people. They are able to keep in touch with their friends without having to exert money and effort in meeting up with them at some place. It is cheaper than using a cellphone because they wouldnt have to spend on load in order to text or

call their friends using cellular phones and it is faster than snail mail because you wouldnt have to go to the post office to mail it and wait for a few days just so your friends can receive it. It makes communicating easier and faster. Also, one is able to communicate with their friends at any time of the day. They will be able to satisfy their immediate social needs at any given time in the comfort of their own homes. They wouldnt have to worry about spending money on transportation as well as on load just to meet up with friends. Also, they need not exert effort in going out of the house as well as worry regarding the dangers which they may encounter outside of the house. This makes everything convenient for out modern youth; however, they should know how to use these properly. The youth of today tend to put this first before accomplishing home works and projects. They would rather spend their extra time in chatting with friends rather than studying their lessons in advance. Some would even opt to just forget about their projects and home works entirely inn order to use these sites. Teenagers nowadays are sometimes inclined to satisfy their social needs first before accomplishing what it is they need for school. There are also those who prefer to explore the more functional side of these networking sites by using it for school-related or academic purposes. There are students who would arrange online conferences in order to talk with each other regarding group projects after school hours. This makes it more convenient for them because they dont have to stay too long in school just to talk about their project. Some would decide to create Facebook pages or Yahoo groups for their sections/classes. They use these groups in order to remind each other about home works and projects which are nearing the deadline. They sometimes use these to announce upcoming school events as well as the details to the projects given by the professors. They are able to discuss with each other the unclear parts of a professors lecture. These groups also make it more convenient for the class officers to communicate with the classe.g. a teacher asks for each of the students 11 pictures from the secretary, the secretary will simply post in the group that each one of the students must provide him with their pictures the following day. Also, there are professors nowadays who opt to send in advance their powerpoint presentations to the students so that they may be able to read it before the discussion and be able to participate during the discussion. Some would even send the details of their assignments and projects for the class in order to save timethey wouldnt have to explain it further in class because everything is already in the e-mail/ post. This is really useful for the students of today; however, some negative effects also accompany it. This

helps students aid each other for school but it makes them depend solely on each other and it makes them take things for granted. Everything is already given to themthe powerpoint presentations, links for their research, etc. They would of course take these and review them rather than research on their own. Its making life too easy for the students. No doubt, Social Networking Sites are of great help in the youths daily life; however, it has positive and negative effects which depend on how a person will utilize it. Social Networking Sites can benefit us in numerous ways and that it can make life easier for us; however, we should keep in mind that everything in life should be taken in moderation in this case, done in moderation. We should always set our priorities straight and remember that despite being given all that we need, a little extra work wouldnt do us harm.

Is Social Networking Dangerous for Teenagers?

Social networking is really making us less social. Being social and connected has become dangerous for both mind and body, because people are becoming less and less likely to go out of their way to create social situations where they would interact with people face to face. This is a bad thing because it has been proven that there is so much that people can learn from their brief interactions with one another, on a day-to-day basis. Also, people are choosing to stay in and stay online versus going out and being social and doing anything physical. Therefore, these social networking sites are not just affecting the mind but are also affecting the body by creating more unhealthy people. So why is it that they are becoming increasingly popular when the list of negative effects can go on and on? There is a big problem that is just now being brought to attention, which is that social networking is negatively impacting the ways people are interacting with each other. This is apparent when you compare how people talk to a person online to how they would address someone, in person. That is because talking to someone online is impersonal because of the lack of emotion put in to the word you may type to someone, because when you talk to someone in person you are way more likely to put lots of thought and emotion into all the words you say. On top of that there are also other major problems. Experts have argued for years that social networking sites are having a negative impact on todays youth. With the ability to communicate with you friends instantaneously, also comes the ability to communicate with people who you do not like as well. People have the ability to abuse instant communication to start a fight or bully over social networking sites. This is because they do not have to see the other person. In most cases that makes it easier for people it to be mean to others because there is no face staring back that them, just a person on the other side of a screen. Jordan K. Turgeon, a writer for the Huffington post says in his article, Everybody knows that what you write is public, but because theres a screen in front of you, you feel somewhat anonymous. (Turgeon). Turgeon is basically saying that people who are mean over social networking sites dont feel guilt for what they do because they cant see the other persons reaction, and people now a days seem to go but the philosophy what they cant see is not happening. Since the boom of social networking sites, teen depression and suicide rates have gone up. This is thought to be in part due to in-your-face friends tallies, status updates and

photos of happy-looking people having great times, Facebook pages can make some kids feel even worse if they think they dont measure up, according to Lindsey Tanner. On Facebook, you are given two ways to show that you like or have an opinion of what the person is saying on their page. They are being able to Like photos, comment, and status or to being able to write a comment on them. Being able to like and comment on aspects of people lives can have both positive and negative effects. In some situations it is bound to make someone feel better about themselves, for instance, if they have 50 likes and a lot of positive feedback being commented on their photos or statuses they are going to feel better about themselves, but to someone who does not get any likes or positive comments it is a huge reminder that maybe they are not as popular or have as many friends as that person with all the likes. Also, to that person that gets all those likes they become very narcissistic and begin to expect to get all that positive feedback on their life where as the kid with one like is more likely to not be confident in their appearance or even how they are living their life leading to other deeper more psychological issues in the future. Depression is one of the many explanations of why teens check out of the real world and rely on social networking sites to communicate. In an uncomfortable place they can just pick up their phones and escape. Facebook games are also becoming more common, and they is addicting for teens, because it gives them an alternative life online. Michael Price says in his article Alone in the Crowd, The most dramatic change is our ability to be elsewhere at any point, to sidestep what is difficult, what is hard in a personal interaction and go to another place We are tempted to give precedence to people we are not with over people we are with (Price). Why is it so hard for people to give their undivided attention to the people they are with? This is another perfect example of an escape from reality. When there is an awkward moment just pick up your phone and scroll through Facebook and live though someone elses life momentarily. One of the most commonly argued problems with social networking being so negative is that it affects peoples work. In class, and during homework, kids are often talking on Facebook instead of doing their work. Studies have shown that kids checking their Facebook at least once every 15 minutes while doing their work are getting much lower grades. So what does that mean for this generation and generations of adolescents to come? It is going to cause the next generation to become lazy and get more distracted in their future. This is because kids naturally have the ability to zone out when things are too hard or seem boring but now the distractions of the social networks are creating an

even bigger problem because they spend more time zoning out then completing their work. That will cause them to put less work into future and then look where we are. There are many ways to try to stop this distraction. This generation of kids is largely motivated; it seems that their only motivation at some points is talking to their friends. There is much talk about whether social networking is causing kids to have trouble developing their social skills. There have been many articles written on this topic and it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is truly a problem with childrens social development becoming impaired due to social networking. Researchers think that it is due to kids mostly interacting with each other online and not being in person where having proper social skills are needed to have conversations, whereas online there is rarely any depth to the conversation. It is easy for a kid to come across as having two different personalities because of the difference of how you may act online verses in person. The effect of this is causing kids to be lonely but without them even knowing it, because they feel like they are with friends just by typing to them, but that is not the case. Loneliness is one of the saddest effects of this problem for many reasons. In his articleAlone in a Crowd, Michael Price says, We have so many new ways of communicating, yet we are so alone. First, people in this day and age are constantly looking for positive feedback on every aspect of their life; without it they feel alone and worthless. With that need people feel that they need to be talking to someone at all times? Why have we gotten to a place where we need the internet to meet people. Not that long ago people were out socializing in person and meeting people. It was rare, almost weird, for people to meet online and now its widely accepted. People can go days without any in person social contact but without constant communication online they feel that their life is lonely. We are living in an isolation that would have been unimaginable to our ancestors, and yet we have never been more accessible. (Marche).