Feb 6, 2010

Last session, we discussed about social networking, its advantages and its disadvantages. With sites such as Facebook, Friendster and Twitter, social networking became a way to connect people regardless of their location. These sites became virtual places wherein they can ‘meet up’ and talk about the things that interest them. A big advantage of social networking is that one can meet people with the same interests. For example, I am a big fan of photography. However, none of my friends are interested in it. Through these social networking sites, I can join a group with an interest in photography. In effect, I am able to broaden my circle of friends. Social networking sites can also be used to conduct business. Through these sites, connections are made which makes it easier for transactions to occur. However, social networking also has its disadvantages. First, all of these connections and bridges are all virtual. When the internet goes down, how does one connect with them? Also, the relationships built are personal, they are easy to make and easy to break as well.

Personally, I don’t like social networking sites such as Facebook (I don’t use Twitter). I have tried it and I felt that it took up my time that could’ve been spent well in studying. Also, things usually ended after a friend was added up. He’s left there, perhaps if needed for future references only or for old time’s sake. Aside from this, years ago, I read an article about social networking sites that really stuck to my mind. The article was the story of a man who used blogs to prove that he can gain access to his friend’s email. Usually, email sites such as Yahoo ask for personal questions to be able to change one’s password. They ask general questions such as ‘What’s my first pet’s name?’or ‘Where did I study preschool?’. These questions are so general that sometimes, they are unconsciously revealed in blogs and notes, features of social networking sites such as Facebook and Multiply. Usually, archives last for years so it’s easy to track down previous blogs. Rummaging through these, a person can learn so much about another person. Maybe during the time of his pet dog’s death he wrote a blog to express his sadness. Or maybe he suddenly visited his preschool after so many years and decided to share the trip by blogging. When writing about these stuff, onewouldn’t think that ‘Hey! I used this as my secret question for my Yahoo account!’. Usually, one writes what’s on top of his head. True enough, that person was able to hack into his friend’s email and was even able to change his password. So in conclusion, I believe that though networking sites have certain advantages, one can live without them. The relationships built are not that strong and stable, and everything’s just so impersonal. Aside from this, valuable information can be leaked unconsciously. So if there’s something happening in your life, I suggest you either write it in a diary for privacy reasons or if there’s really a need to tell someone about it, talk to someone about it over the phone or chat about it in Yahoo Messenger.