On March 30, 2011, MTV premiered the Diary of Facebook. It takes a behind-the-scenes look at how facebook was started, how it is run, and how it operates. It features facebook creator, Mark Zuckerburg, as well as many of his employees, and it shows the evolution of facebook.
Though I have not watched the whole thing, from what I gather, it only focuses on the positives of what social media can do. The thirty minute shows discusses how one woman was able to find long-lost family members, and how another man whom has a serious disease, is able to engage with the world around him.
Often times, I think because of the class we are in and the things we hear in society, it is easy to discuss the negatives of social media. Personally, anything I have posted about social media on this blog has been negative, but it is important to look at the pros too.
Facebook, and other popular networking sites, are beneficial for a number of reasons. If they were not, why would so many of us be on them? Facebook can definitely be used as a tool to find family members, old friends or neighbors, etc. It is also a good way for businesses to promote themselves, by creating a site and letting everyone know all they need to about their business. My brother recently ventured into the business world and bought a bar in Park Slope. It is in a somewhat desolate place in the neighborhood, definitely not a high traffic area. However, with the use of websites such as Facebook, and Yelp!, he has been able to let people know of drink & food specials, as well as karaoke nights and when bands or disc jockeys will be performing. This has definitely helped his business reach out to a larger audience.
I definitely think there are both pros and cons to all social media websites, but that goes for anything in life. People need to be mature about their internet use and many problems can definitely be avoided.
I do have to agree with you, Facebook is somewhere that can help businesses thrive and people find their long lost relatives. It is true that people only see the bad things about these types of networks, but if you take a look into society and news broadcasting most subjects that capture anyone’s attention is bad.The bad news is what gets the most news coverage. For me, it is rare to see many good things being broadcast in the news as opposed to bad. It seems like the bad news always wins and becomes the top story. There is not really many stories where positive things are taking place. It has become something that society has molded. Once there is something bad that happens with anything, it will always remain bad and can only be seen that way. So although there are many things that are good about Facebook, it seems as though all the bad that surrounds it exceeds the positive things that may come out of it. That is just the way that society has made it become. Every where one goes you cannot escape articles on the dangers of social networking and negativity. As they say misery loves company and that is true for any news whether it be on the internet or the television.
As someone mentioned in another post, the quick spread of information is both the advantage and disadvantage of the internet. And as “laww” explained, the internet can be used for many beneficial reasons, specifically connecting with old friends and family or creating positive publicity for a business.
The current world events have led to a need, more urgent need to disseminate information. Everyone is aware of the devastating earthquake in Japan and has been able to view the aftermath because of the technology of the internet. Just as people in Japan were able to inform the rest of the world about their natural disaster, they are now able to inform their own people of any upcoming danger. Recently, nuclear plant firm TEPCO started a Twitter account to provide information to followers about any nuclear leaks or blackouts (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOAhBWPQmKiUn41fS_CG3UQvjd0Q?docId=CNG.af94279f2de063afb3fd0d2db3261792.ae1).
The amount of possibilities provided by the internet seems to be pretty much endless. While there are many benefits, the infinite possibilities are ominous.
I definitely agree with you. Facebook can be a great tool for many different reasons if used properly. My mother has found many of her distant family members through searching on facebook and is now able to better keep in touch with them. Facebook as everything also has its down sides, such as a bullying and misuse, but that is because of people not the site. Facebook is great for advertising a business and is a marketing tool that helps businesses write about all the aspects of their services and people are able to write on the page as well about their experiences. If facebook is used for what it was intended for, it can be very useful.