Reading response - Essay Example

Reading response Christine Rosen writes the article “Virtual Friendship and the new Narcissism”. The article generally focuses on the new form of interaction that has emerged in the modern society. The new form Of interaction has been labeled as ‘Social Sites’. Several things are discussed in the article concerning the emerging social sites and role in the society. In the introductory passage, the author notes how the rich in the society used to express themselves. The most common form of expression is noted as painted portraits.

As noted, expression was more pronounced through self-portrait. Such portraits provided a chance for an individual to self-express and self-seek (Rosen 866). However, there has been a drastic change in form of self-expression. The change has occurred through emergence of numerous social sites. The most common social sites are listed as MySpace and Facebook. The sites offer an opportunity for the viewers to look at individual life as well as offer comments on such life expressed through online community (Rosen 866).

As a result, the author notes that these sites are used by individuals mostly to get attention.On the other hand, the author provides a history perspective of the online social networks. These networks are shown to change and emerge as time progresses. The earliest online social networks are listed as the Bulletin Board systems said to have started in 1980,s (Rosen 867). The network provided a platform for users to send public messages, send and receive private messages, as well as exchange of software (Rosen 867).

However, more pronounces social sites emerged in the 21st century. Such sites include Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook. The sites attracted millions of uses in this era. Other social sites are expected to emerge in the future.On the other hand, social sites are shown to play various roles in the society. First, the sites have been shown to provide an opportunity for those that make it in life to get attention. Moreover, the sites have also laid a platform for advertisers to market their products such as record labels and film studios (Rosen 868).

These sites are also shown to play a significant role in politics. Politicians are shown to use sites to enlist followers and express their policies.Additionally, the author offers a comparative analysis of the popular social sites. The most popular are shown to be MySpace and Facebook. The sites are shown to be simple in setting online identity (Rosen 869). On the other hand, majority of Americans are shown to be a heavy user of these social sites. In fact, research by Pew Internet and American Life Project notes “more than half of all Americans between the ages of twelve and seventeen use some online social networking sites’ (Rosen 870).

In my opinion, the article seems to be written with the young generation in mind. The author purpose was to inform the young generation that these sites could offer immense benefit. On the other hand, the author intends the young people to realize that these sites can lead to significant harm such as affect social aspect of the human being as there is reduced physical interaction. The author might have been forced to write about these sites due to prominence that the sites continue to gain in history.

Works CitedRosen, Christine. “Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism.”