Social networking - Essay Example

Compare and contrast: Social networking Social networking has become a part of the daily lives of millions of people, making it easier than ever forpeople to communicate with one another. People are able to rekindle friendships that had otherwise gone forgotten, and others find it more reliable in keeping in touch with friends, family members, peers, and coworkers. Over the years, social networking has replaced a great amount of the traditional, physical communication between people. This reveals that while there are numerous advantages of online social networking, there are also plenty of disadvantages.

When someone communicates with a friend or family member over an online social networking website, their attention is often divided. They are usually watching television, eating, doing homework, talking to another person via another medium, or even a combination of the aforementioned. Even though the person they are speaking to is usually unaware of it, they are not getting the complete attention of their friend, who has found other things to busy themselves with. The same can even be said for the person being talked to.

Physical communication, on the other hand, means that both people are being given the proper amount of attention. They may be engaged in other activities, but the physical presence of each person will prompt better undivided attention. They will acknowledge that the other is there, thus allowing more focus on communication, as opposed to something else. Yet another downside of communicating through online social networking websites is that tone and emotion are often misconstrued. A person attempting to be humorous or lighthearted might be regarded as being rude or heartless because tone and emotion do not always transfer well over the Internet.

Similarly, someone who is trying to be serious about a situation might be misjudged as being too happy for the occasion. Since people cannot see each other when communicating through social networking websites, they are unable to understand the tone or emotions being used. When people are speaking to one another face-to-face, or even over the phone, it is easier to understand their tone and emotion. By hearing someone’s tone and seeing the expressions on their face, the person they are communicating with can grasp the seriousness or the lightheartedness behind the conversation.

This allows for fewer misconceptions and awkward silences when someone responds in a way they should not have. Communication through social networking websites holds one advantage over more traditional methods of communicating, and that is providing more time to communicate with other people. In this modern day, people are busier than ever, finding it difficult to set aside free time for themselves let alone for others. Instead of having to find time to make plans with others, even if it is just making a phone call, people find it more convenient to just log on to their social networking site.

If friends are able to chat, they do so, often while they are multitasking with other things, as previously mentioned. Social networking sites have made it more simpler to stay in touch with people in a never-resting world. Social networking has changed the way that people communicate with each other. Lost friendships are rekindled and static friendships are strengthened. While social networking has the advantage of making finding time to communicate easier, it comes with the downfalls of inattention of the people in the conversation and the possibility of tone and emotion being misconstrued, due to the lack of face-to-face contact.

More and more, though, people are finding ways to overcome these problems to enhance the experiences of social networking.