Social Networking

Social networking plays a significant role in regards to both everyday and corporate life. In a world where technology is constantly being upgraded and enhanced, the exponential growth of social networking participation and the use of social media sites and applications are no surprise. One sector of society that greatly relies on the use of social networking in order to flourish is the corporate world. Frank Langfitt, in his article entitled "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting," discusses the importance of social networking in the recruitment process. One form of social networking that he mentions is LinkedIn. Langfitt states that LinkedIn allows businesses to easily "dig out high-quality candidates" by "typing keywords into a search engine" as opposed to having to manually sift through resumes of candidates who may not have any desirable qualifications. Businesses also use social networking in order to grow their brand. What I mean by the latter statement is that social networking allows businesses to reach out to the masses. By using applications like Instagram or Facebook, an organization can easily display virtually any aspect of their company to millions of people. New media enables even the smallest of companies to not only showcase their business, but also to interact with potential clients. Aside from the virtually endless benefits that social networking technologies provide for businesses and the corporate world, they also benefit society as a whole. One significant example of how social networking has benefited society in the past is during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. Communication via sites like Facebook and YouTube enabled Egyptian civilians to rally together and fight back against the Mubarak Regime. Social networking technologies, like the sites mentioned above, enabled civilians to film, report, and discuss injustices that were being enacted by Egyptian police and government officials. However, social networking also has its drawbacks and negative features. Hilary Stout, in her article entitled "Antisocial Networking?" sheds light on the idea that social networking negatively affects children because it disables them from building strong, real relationships. Stout states that because children are becoming increasingly more obsessed with communicating online, "they may be missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial expressions and body language." Having in-person relationships is vital to a child's mental and emotional development, and, some may argue that social networking technologies may be hindering the development of such relationships. In my opinion, I believe that social networking technologies will continue to rapidly evolve. I believe this course alone stands as testament to how rapidly social networking has crept into every corner of every facet of our society, including education. Instead of having an in-person course, we are able to communicate with one another and share ideas via the internet. It is hard to imagine how social networking and the use of new media can expand any further than it already has, but innovators will most certainly find new ways to incorporate it even more into our everyday lives. 

Works Cited:
Stout, Hilary. "Antisocial Networking?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

Langfitt, Frank. "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting." NPR. NPR, 22 Nov. 2006. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.