Social Networking Issues - Coursework Example

Social Networking Introduction With the invention of wheel in the earliest times of human history, the human race has progressed like anything the world has ever seen. The human mind has never looked back and the speed of this progress has only increased. Of all the times the human race has seen, the twentieth and twenty first century have been considered as the era of development and inventions. Starting from the invention of telephone to the modern day cellular technology, the world has seen many changes which have converted this vast planet into a global village. Journeys that were usually completed in days are now completed in hours. Developments in the field of health and medicine have significantly reduced the rate of morbidity and mortality. Several modes of communication are now being introduced on daily basis. Of these modes of communication internet and email have been considered as the most important developments so far. Nothing else but the internet has converted this world into a global village. Internet and social networking With the introduction internet, came hundreds and thousands new possibilities of reaching and communicating with each other. Several websites were launched which made communication and access to a lot of resources just a click away. Facebook and twitter are two such examples of these websites. These social networking websites have faced a lot of criticism in the past. They have been regarded responsible for spoiling the young minds. They have been regarded as a complete waste of time by the society. Even in the presence of this criticism the positive aspects of these websites cannot be overlooked. These websites certainly are indespensible for the modern society. The use of facebook and twitter as a mode of communication between those who cannot reach or communicate with each other otherwise is very significant. Approximately half of the world’s population especially youth is using these websites both as a source of communication and information. But the question that was raised by most of the people: especially the parents of young children, was to how to use these websites in a positive way. Just like everything else in this world, facebook and twitter also have both negative and positive uses. It is totally up to the user and his mind set that how he/she uses it. Facebook and twitter could be used as powerful learning tools. One can just go to these websites and search for the required page and get the information regarding anything in the world. With the help of these websites, information could be delivered to hundreds of people by just posting it on the specific page instead of calling or sending emails to everyone. One can choose these websites according his convenience and use it accordingly. With the help of these websites we can share our daily life experiences with our friends and family, no matter how far they are from us. The most important feature of these websites is that we can decide whether we want to keep our experiences and personal information private or share it public. Social networking as an educational tool The use of facebook and twitter has been recently promoted in many educational institutes of the world. These websites have made work a lot easier for them too. It is easy for them to make a page of their respective institute on the website and post all the relevant information on it. It is easy for the administration to post the test results and daily updates on their respective pages directly from their computers instead of printing them out and putting them up on the notice boards. Apart of the official pages shared by the administration, the students can also make specific pages on these websites and share every sort of information with each other. These websites have made life a lot easier both for the students and the teachers and has helped significantly in increasing the quality of student teacher relationship. Now the teachers can put up assignments with the instructions on the website from where the students can pick them up and submit on the respective page. For the teachers it is also easy now to post any information regarding their respective subjects on their pages made by them, from where the students can see and collect the information at any time of the day without having to call or disturb the teacher at odd hours. The new chatting service recently started by most of these websites has also made it easier for the students or the teachers to communicate with each other. The students can now contact their teachers at any time of the day and ask for the required information while the teachers can reply according to their convenience having the message saved in their inbox. These websites are now considered to have a potential to become a significant source for the students when it comes to collaborating and communicating with their teachers. They can send and receive updates regarding their assignments and course work and collaborate it with their progress. The informal use of facebook and twitter among the students has increased significantly in the past years. Facebook, twitter and many other social networking websites are now serving as a strong medium through which students, apart from communicating with the faculty can also communicate with each other. They can share developments in their course work with each other as well as exchange important information regarding their studies with each other. Those who somehow were not able to attend the lectures can receive updates wither from a friend or their teacher through these website. Conclusion Although there has been a lot of criticism on the use of social networking website, there use as an important educational tool cannot be overlooked. These websites have certainly infiltrated and almost revolutionized the field of education. These websites have allowed the students to learn from almost everything that is happening around them, creating cast resources to study from and share it with their colleagues. Considering the rapidly increasing use of these websites by people almost every ethnicity, age and profession, these websites have certainly acquired an indispensible place in our daily life. References Mason, Robin, and Frank Rennie. E-learning and Social Networking Handbook: Resources for Higher Education. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print Carter, Heather L, Teresa S. Foulger, and Ann D. Ewbank. "Have You Googled Your Teacher Lately? Teachers Use of Social Networking Sites." Phi Delta Kappan. 89.9 (2008): 681-685. Print. Read More