Social Networking: The Fall of Social Skills

2009-09-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

Social Networking is an up and coming innovation of today's technology. Websites such as Facebook and my space are booming. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) has been atop the mountain for Internet socializing for nearly a decade and many more programs are beside it. While social networking may be a groundbreaking invention, it may not be the most healthful environment (or virtuality) for today's youth. Today's youth have been introduced to a world in which the easiest way to communicate is via instant message and the most common way to meet new people is through Facebook. PBS's Frontline addresses this issue and discusses the repercussions that may arise from this new social norm. Kids today will lose social skills and will not be able to interact in person as a result of this advancement. While the Internet may in fact be a great invention for collecting data and use of multimedia, it can also be harmful. There are sexual predators who lurk on the Internet, as well as content not suitable for children. This exposure will not only desensitize children to issues in which sensitivity should be present, it may in some extremes have the power to corrupt children. Parental controls are in existence but are they in fact affective?
Today there are websites available for people to escape reality and create a fantasy life called "Second Life" in which they can create their own character and meet people online. Like anything, this website has its fair share of pro's and con's. The ingenious fantasy land enable business students to run their own experiments. It also allows abused children to rediscover social skills. As the name states, it allows people to escape from reality for a short period of time and into a land where they can fly and live the life they've always wanted but for some reason could not bring to life outside the Internet. While the concept of this virtual utopia may seem remarkable, it too suffers the con's of the Internet safety issues. This also causes users to potentially fall prey to losing social skills and maybe even worse due to the fact that nothing in the game is impossible. This may alter user's perception of reality and cause slight mental defects outside the second life.
Let us not forget that the Internet is a great tool for sharing ideas and information. President Barack Obama was able to use this resource as a means for spreading his ideaology via the MyBo website. By doing this he greatly increased his pole standings and donations.
All in all, the Internet is a very sensitive tool with potential for great things for society but do the consequences outweigh the benefits?