Essay eng free essay sample

Essay In an age where Information and interactions are Just a few clicks away, it has become easy to blame social media sites for problems In society. There are some who oppose this Idea and others who are on board with the notion. Social media can have both a positive and negative effect on todays society; It Is up to the Individual to decide the effect on them. In order to better understand what a social networking site is let us quickly review their history. In 1997 the first social networking site Siderites. Com was founded (Procom, 2013).It is considered to be the first social outworking site because it provided the opportunity to do basic functions such as connecting to friends and creating a personal space. Other sites quickly followed and advanced more rapidly then Siderites. These sites included: Namespace, Backbone, Pinsetters, Google+, Twitter, and Friends. Founded in 2002 Friends is considered the site that popularized social networking in the United States (Procom, 2013). Today it is estimated that Backbone has an average of one billion users a month (Smith, Seal, and Cooley, 2012). Twitter is the second largest site with an estimated 500 million users worldwide (Metro, 2012). Pinsetters a site founded in 2009 ranks as the media sites are a fairly new technology many people have taken advantage of the positive effects that they offer. One of the major positives of this technology medium is the rate at which information can be shared. In several instances information and eyewitness accounts have been available on sites such as twitter long before local or national media coverage was available.For example people involved in the shootings in Aurora, CO reported the happenings on Twitter and Youth (Suttee, 2012). It is estimated that 50% of all Americans get their news from social networking sites such s Twitter and Backbone (Suttee, 2012). These sites are ranked above newspapers and radio in terms of where people go to get information on current events and breaking news (Marino, 2012). As the technology advances people are able to tailor fit the Information they receive on these sites to their personal needs and Interest.This allows a person to streamline their Information and have more time available to attend to more favorable tasks. Another key component on the positive side of the effects of social media sites is the usage of this technology by law enforcement agencies. In fact 67% of law enforcement professionals say they use these site to post information that has lead to the arrest of criminals (Lexiss, 2012). In Vancouver social media aided in the capture of 2,000 vandals that were tagged in photos uploaded to the site after riots caused by the Stanley Cup defeat (Talked, 2011).Spreading information quickly across these sites is another great tool that law enforcement agencys can use to make communities safer. On the flip side of the coin there are many people that feel these sites have a purely negative impact on days society. The number one factor they often point out Is the lack of privacy these sites offer. Statistics show that many users are unaware of privacy polices that fully utilize the site privacy settings and 28% share everything to everyone (Consumer these sites to prosecute and convict criminals.The IRS taught its agents to scan Backbone pages for information to assist in resolving taxpayer cases (Consumer Reports, 2012). Many Americans fear that their every move is being watched while they are on these sites and that any information they post can be used against them n the future. This lack of privacy has caused a small panic in American homes and has resulted in some members leaving these sites for what they call privacy violations. One major cause for concern Americans have with social networking sites is the time that can be wasted while using these sites.It was calculated that 40% of 8 to 18 year olds spend an average of 54 minutes a day on social media sites (Iridous, Offer, and Roberts , 2010). This is an hour a day being spent on something other then homework, extra-circulars, and family time. One of the main tasks that occupy the mime spend on these sites is users playing games through the sites. An average of 42% of users that visit the sites also spend time playing games associated through the sites (Willis, 2012).There are ways to get away from the negative trends of this medium but they involve full support of the family system in place as well as individual responsibility. Parents can set schedules for their children to insure that they do not fall victim to these downward trends. Always provide other activities for your child as well so they do not grow dependent upon the use of the Internet for social activities. It is also imperative that you read and fully understand the privacy policies associated with every social media site you use so you can protect your information and yourselves. Teaching yourselves and your children to treat all Online interactions as if they were face-to-face interactions will allow them to be more empathetic and kind while on social media sites. By realizing that there are consequences to what is done while online and that there is an electronic trail to what is posted they become more aware to what it is they post. Taking responsibility to your actions Online is the most important thing you can do. By following these guidelines you can determine the effect social media has on you and not let it determine how you use these social media site in the future.