Has social networking technology (blog-friendly phones, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) made us better or worse off as a society, either from an economic, psychological, or sociological perspective?What do you think?
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Is MySpace Good for Society?
Folks in academia in industry respond to the question posed by Freakonomics author and blogger Stephen J. Dubner: Is MySpace Good for Society?
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6 comments:
Similar to the responses of the people who were questioned in the article, my response to the question is yes, social networking is beneficial to society despite its flaws. I particularly agreed with Nicole Ellison's statement,
"...social networking features are employed for fun, profit, and social good...I believe the benefits we receive as a society provided by these tools far outweigh the risks."
I see social networking sites as a convinient, useful, and fun opportunity to socialize. I can almost compare it to the AIM craze when instant messaging first appeared, as people used to instant message 5+ buddies at once all the time. Similar to AIM, people may now be adding 500+ friends and disclosing too much information about themselves on their profile, but I believe that with time and experience, social networking users will learn to avoid or lessen the risks involved and turn once again to balance their socializing time online and offline.
I personally do not have a my space account. So I guess that makes me impartial to the issue but not as informed as those who know the experience of being on Myspace.
However, I'd have to agree with what Dana Boyd pointed out in the posted article. Dana Boyd states that Myspace is a tool for social communication - what Myspace provides is simply another means of communication. A tool is, by nature, neutral as its uses depend upon the intentions of the user. Thus it is neither inherently good or bad for society by itself. To argue whether myspace is good or bad for society is kind of like arguing if the internet is good or bad for society. It really depends on how it is used on a case by case scenario. For some users, it's an absolutely positive experience as they are allowed to keep in touch with friends through moderate use while not letting it affect their daily lives. For others, it may be a nightmare as instances of cyber bullying or misuse of time can ruin lives and/or academic careers.
So I guess my answer to this is that it ultimately depends on the user.
From an economic standpoint, I think social networking sites have benefited society.
Social networking sites bridge any communication gaps that may exist between businesses. Consumers get the opportunity to shop around more easily, searching for the cheapest price on a product. Likewise, producers have an unlimited space to sell their products and advertise them to the widest possible audience. Producers have to spend less on product placement and only have to worry about shipping the products they sell.
Likewise, the article (Is Myspace Good for Society) points out that these Social Networking Sites are free of charge as they operate the same way as cable TV. As a result, economically, the opportunity to meet new people or expand your friendships are endless. It's a lot cheaper to go online and communicate with friends across the world, rather than make phone calls or travel to see each other.
I also agree that social networking sites have turned us into a better society. Ellison's findings on why we use social networking sites (to share ideas and gain more information) see right on target.
I think what makes social networking sites a good tool for an individual and society as a whole is the level of trust behind it. We are all trying to increase our social ties everywhere we go, and using a social network site where one must have a profile facilitates the befriending process because as we look into their onilne profile we are begining to trust them (to some degree). Of course there are those few who take online profile to an extreme and take advantage of the befriending/trust process, but otherwise, overall it increases our social ties and our openmindedness when it comes to getting to know different people.
And when it comes to that desire of ours to be well liked and build relationships with people, creating an online profile gives us the opportunity to reflect on who we are and who we ought to be. I would assume that this is is psychological benifit of social networking sites, because while we are building our profiles, we may also be rebuilding our true self.
While social networking sites certianly have their various implications, overall, I think they have become a benifical communication tool for society in general.
With any new media technologies introduced to the public, there are always concerned responses and resistance based in arguments such as privacy and censorship. But these seem to be concerns that are always present when new technologies are introduced.
I think that one of the reasons social networking sites might encounter resistance is because of their appeals to younger audiences (teens and younger). Social networking sites can be a frightening concept to parents who grew up with a technology that allowed you to generate a collection of relationships with complete strangers.
I think social networking sites will soon fall into rythm with what we consider to be traditional communication technologies today, such as the telephone.
Shawn makes an excellent point in that the internet, and social networking sites in particular, are fundamentally neutral technologies. So when we ask "is MySpace good for society" what we are really asking is: is this technology able to be used in a manner that can benefit society? It is important to shift this question away from the technology itself and towards the people using it because we are the ones who give it meaning.
So in answering the question from this perspective, I most definitely believe that MySpace is good for society. The specific instances of appropriate or inappropriate use of this technology is really besides the point; what is important is that the potential for constructive use is present. Some argue that despite this potential for good the risk of danger is enough to condemn the technology, however I believe it is important to accept the risk of danger in order to accept the potential for good as well. Cars, for instance, have incredibly destructive power, and take the lives of hundreds of thousands of people a year. However we are generally willing to accept this risk in exchange for the positive ways in which cars influence our lives as well. It is important to embrace the new freedoms we afford ourselves, and to not shy away (or at least not force others away) simply because of the threat of danger.
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