Social Networking Analysis: Better or Worse than the Real Thing? - Kesham Baldeoprasad

Kesham Baldeoprasad

I chose to analyze the topic of "Social Networking: Better or Worse than the Real Thing" for my term paper because it is something that has always been of interest to me growing up. I find that I am very distinguished from my friends and peers in that I have no social media accounts besides a business professional LinkedIn account. I have never seen the intrigue and overwhelming interest into creating an account to socialize virtually and online. That's something I've always preferred to do face to face and I feel that there's more of a personal connection and genuine friendship that can be created in person that can never be replaced by a screen and keyboard. I hope to discuss this in my paper as well as review the pros and cons of both sides of Social Networking, whether it's something that should be done online or in person. I am also intrigued as to the exposure social networking has gotten over the decade and the extreme influence it has not only in our personal lives, but relationships with others and our professional careers. I plan to compare the perspectives of both sides; those who are in support of social networking more than direct interaction and those who prefer to engage with others in reality and not online.

Comments

  1. Domingo RemigioSeptember 23, 2019 at 11:44 AM

    Hello Kesham Baldeoprasad, 

    It’s interesting that you have mentioned that you currently don’t have any social networking accounts or apps besides LinkedIn. I myself used to have accounts throughout all social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc...). But one day I decided I was going to live a minimalistic and simplistic lifestyle (it's a work in progress) and I deleted all my social networking accounts, except, for LinkedIn and now recently for this class I had joined Twitter again. I guess you can say the newness of social networking has also worn-off on me, however another reason for deleting my accounts was that it was taking too much of my time, focus and attention. I know through my personal experience it felt liberating and freeing when I had deleted them because now, I have more time to focus on my goals and actually enjoying life more with my family and friends and I even started reading more books (yes real books). I understand that social networking does have its benefits, such as keeping in contact with family members and friends who might live in another area or part of the world and even making new friends and business contacts. But I don’t think I want to see multiple pictures of what someone is eating in different angles, or that they went shopping for underwear or even read and see the drama that unfolds when people get into online fights, plus I realized that a lot of people were two-faced behind the screen and they like to brag or overly exaggerate about all the things they claimed to own or have done but I knew were a lie. I have told my friends and family who have asked me why I’m no longer online, that I would rather see them in person or talk with them over the phone and have a real conversation about what’s truly important and whatever is affecting our lives, instead of being phony online. However, I’m not knocking social networking, because it can be a powerful vehicle for change, equality, and justices and even for business networking (which is why I still have a LinkedIn account). Nevertheless, another big concern I did have with social networking sites was security, data breaches, and privacy, including how my information was being handled and used (what comes to mind is Facebook and Cambridge Analytica). I’m sure through your report on “Social Networking: Better or Worse than the Real Thing" you will uncover the many benefits of social networking and also its many difficulties and barriers. But, also the fact that in the end, they are only tools that if used wisely can have major positive impact on the world by connecting activist, spurring creativity, and starting grassroots movements but if used wrong can have devastating consequences such as cyberbullying, the spread of fake news and a platform for hate groups. In the end, I believe nothing beats living life in the real world, surrounded by the true people we care about and who care about us.

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