It is impossible to get through a day at school without hearing at least one person reference a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter. While some aspects of these sites have proven to be useful and productive, it seems that our dependence upon them has become excessive. People sometimes forget to think before they post, and this lax attitude can cause a lot of trouble.
As our society progresses towards a digital age, certain elements of the dystopia that George Orwell envisioned in Nineteen Eighty-Four have become reality. Take, for example, the story of thirteen Virgin Atlantic crew members who were fired after making disparaging remarks about the airline on Facebook. Since it is true that “Big Brother is watching you,” it is imperative that you are careful about what you post online.
Aside from concerns about privacy, we must also evaluate the way in which social networking affects our culture. Junior Michael Holland feels that “social networking can be useful as far as staying connected, but it ultimately impedes our social skills and over-inflates our egos.” Mr. Holland raises an excellent point. Whenever I walk into a restaurant, I’m almost certain to see a teenager paying very little attention to her family because she’s too busy texting on her cell phone. People need to know how to communicate with others face-to-face if they want to survive in today’s competitive business environment, and I feel that this widespread obsession with electronic devices does a disservice to the younger generations in our society.
It is also saddening that some people post on Facebook or Twitter solely in an attempt to elicit approving remarks from their peers. Our culture places such an enormous emphasis upon being accepted by others that we sometimes lose focus of what truly matters in life.
Lastly, I’d like to touch upon what I feel to be the most disturbing side effect of the modern social networking craze. Electronic communication has the peculiar ability to make people feel as if they can say whatever they want. For some reason, social norms and polite, respectful conduct tend to go out the window when people go online. A new type of bullying, known as cyberbullying, has emerged as a result. Merriam-Webster’s definition of cyberbullying is “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person, often done anonymously.” This form of harassment has the potential to cause enormous harm to its victims, as was seen in the case of Tyler Clementi—a student at Rutgers University who committed suicide after his roommate live-streamed footage of him kissing another man. Cases such as this one can be avoided if people understand the importance of using social media responsibly. Rather than acting on impulse, one must carefully consider his actions before making an irreversible decision.
Social networking can be rewarding socially and practically. However, those who use sites like Facebook and Twitter must remember that face-to-face communication is more important than the digital world too many live in nowadays. Furthermore, we must remember that the power to post online does not absolve us of the duty to be considerate of others. Failure to abide by these axioms of moral conduct give credence to those who say social networking is a detriment to society. Many people who did not grow up with social media are inclined to believe “Facebook is for losers,” as history teacher Ms. Gail Hayes remarked. It is incumbent upon young people to prove her wrong.