Thursday, March 18, 2010

Social Media - Erika Chong

Social media has become one of the greatest impact in history. It has been more than a decade since it started way back in 1997 where sixdegree.com first introduced social networking profiles. This has been the greatest revolution since the Industrial Revolution. It has taken over porn as the number 1 activity on the internet.

Social media took years to hit 50 million users while radio took 38 years! The difference in number truly shows how great the impact is on the younger generation. 96% of the children who has internet access owns a social networking profile, be it Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Friendster or whatever else.

It has greatly impacted my life and friends around me. For example: A friend of mine can sit in front of a social networking website for hours busy doing nothing while he can do his homework, play football, go out for a movie and such. Yet he rather sit in front of the computer all day long viewing his friends' profiles and browsing through their updates.
A great lesson for me: Social networking sites are not supposed to take away your life. Some people even say it is better than sex!

Another good friend of mine, married, had 2 kids and they led a wonderful life. They live in Batu Pahat and they used to go for family picnic every weekend. However, since she got a hold of social networking sites, specifically Facebook, she abandoned her chores, her children, her husband and her life. She is currently going through a divorce.

As for myself, I started using social networking sites since 2004. That was when Friendster was still a big hit. I used it as how it was made to be, checking what my friends are doing, leaving comments, updating my profile and etc. It hasn't made quite much of a negative impact on me, yet, but I wouldn't want to imagine how dull my life would be now without it. It is indirectly a source of entertainment for me.
I would rather contact a friend on the phone than to talk to them on Facebook.

In the virtual world, anything can be real. We never know what is a person really thinking or what they really thought about you. I can be really good friend with you on the net but we never talked when we meet in class. Its ridiculous right?

Social networking, a place to increase your self confidence? In my case, yes.
For some other people, not quite, as the example given above.

Hopefully social media is used to the maximum with the minimum damage towards mankind.

7 comments:

  1. Haha I remember friendster...I also did use it before the existence of Facebook! But I think now its rather Friends-less ! *laughs out loud*
    Well social networking is good but it definetely ain't great. Look what it did your your friend's marraige life! *sighs*

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  2. -Galen, there's still people still using friensdter. ;) Surprised huh? hahaha

    I'm shock that how social media can make someone divorce. =(

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  3. Really surprised..haha But i guess one day they will secumed to the pressure of perhaps moving on to facebook...???

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  4. Galen,

    Social media is a general definition for the online technologies, pratices and tools used to Socialise virtually. Not a plce.

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  5. *make someone file a divorce.

    HAHAHAHA. too much time to waste on. They probably has facebook, friendster, myspace and so on.

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  6. * I was made to be love-

    Er who is this??

    Anyway I don't recall saying that social media is place or rather giving the impression so... But what i meant was that,
    Blogspot and Facebook are a form social media right...
    And there are people out there that uses it as a place though they are only "online technologies, pratices and tools used to Socialise virtually"..

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  7. @2I was made to be loved: not literally MOVE to Facebook as a place. If not, what word should we use then?

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