1-Increased criminal prosecution because of social media
The NYC police department began using Twitter back in 2011 to track criminals foolish enough to brag about their crimes online. When the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup in 2011, their Vancouver fans took to the streets and rioted, but local authorities used social media to track and tag the people involved, and they caught people who were stealing during the riot. 2-Social networking creates new social connections Statistics show that 70% of adults have used social media sites to connect with relatives in other states, and 57% of teens have reported making new friendships on social media sites. 3-Students are doing better in school This is an interesting statistic about the pros and cons of social media and its effect on students doing well in school. Students with internet access at a rate of 50% have reported using social networking sites to discuss school work, and another 59% talk about instructive topics. 4-Better quality of life If you want to talk about the pros and cons of social media, take a close look at all the support groups on Facebook. Members of these groups discuss their health conditions, share important information, and resources relevant to their conditions while creating strong support networks. 5-Social media as a source of employment Job sourcing has gone modern thanks to social media. Sites such as LinkedIn are a major resource that 89% of job recruiters take advantage of when looking to hire potential employees. Now lets take a look at the Cons of social media. 1-Social media and the news Much of the news information that people read about comes from social media websites, and that figure estimate is around 27.8 %. This figure ranks just under print newspapers at 28.8%, greater than radios figure of 18.8% and far outpaces the figure for other print publications at just 6%. 2-Too much misinformation With the advent of the web, people started to create their own websites and blogs. While many of those blogs were just basic diaries, a few of them were about topics like health and politics while others were how to blogs. Many blogs have turned into rumor mills, spreading misinformation that people tend to believe just because its on the web. Rumors about hurricane Sandy and gunfights in other countries like Mexico have been picked up by reliable news services, and this misinformation has been shared without the proper vetting of the sources providing the information. 3-Pupils spending too much time on social media sites have lower academic grades Here is another argument about the pros and cons of social media as it pertains to students. Statistics show that pupils using social media too often tend to have GPAs of 3.06 compared to GPAs of 3.82 for pupils who dont use social media. An even scarier fact is that students who use social media tend to score 20 % lower on their test scores then their counterparts. 4-Social media sites to blame for lost productivity Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are a direct cause for lost productivity at the workplace. In a survey 36 % of people said that social networking was the biggest waste of time in comparison to activities like fantasy football, shopping, and watching television. 5-Social media is the cause for less face to face communication One last discussion about the pros and cons of social media is a lack of one on one communication. In a 2012 study families who reported spending less time with one another rose from a level of 8% in 2000 to 32% in 2011. The study also reported that 32 % of the people in the survey either were texting or were on social media sites instead of communicating with each other during family gatherings. The twenty-first century is the world of the Internet. We connect to people through the Internet. Social networking sites (SNSs) help us to connect to our relatives, friends, colleagues, and even strangers far away from us. We learn about other people, their interests, their work, etc. through social networking sites. These sites have become very common among individuals of all ages. Today, there are SNSs that have influenced modern human lives in many aspects. These sites have their own pros and cons.
The first SNS was SixDegrees.com, which was launched in 1997. Some of the most commonly used SNSs today are: Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, Flickr, Bebo, MySpace, Meetup, Meetme, Orkut. Users can create profiles, add interests, add photographs, add friends, and more. Their friends can be relatives, colleagues, or even strangers. Friends can be added from anywhere in the world.
SNSs are common among children, teenagers, adults, and also among old people. It is a very common pastime, and the most convenient means of connecting with people whom we can't meet in person or connect with by phone. We can use SNSs to video chat, voice chat, or do video conferencing with friends added to our 'friends list'. This is the most important feature provided by such sites. Even jobs can be searched for on these sites; Linkedin is one such professional networking site of this type. There are SNSs for dogs and cats also, called Dogster and Catster respectively. Their profiles are managed by their owners.
SNSs sites are extensively used by youth, not only by college and school-going kids, but also by people working in offices. It wastes valuable time which was intended for productive work. These sites are blocked in many offices and in schools and colleges, but there are various proxy servers which can be used to access these sites. These sites are also involved in cybercrime.
Technology has its own advantages and disadvantages. Thus, these sites can be the gift of science and technology, if used with great care.
The Pros
Social networking sites have paved the way for easier communication to your friends, family, or colleagues. One example is that instead of meeting in a certain place, you and your classmates could discuss a school activity by having a conference in a certain site that you are all members of, thus saving you time and effort. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. People of different races also get to mingle with each other in just a few clicks.
The idea of socializing with millions of people of different backgrounds excite the Web surfers. This is one thing that you can hardly do outside the virtual world.
The Cons
While social networking sites have become places for establishing connections and meeting friends, they have also become likely places for identity theft and fraud. As you have to provide certain information such as your e-mail address, name, and location, others use these information and pretend to be you, especially when they are into illegal activities.
Furthermore, someone pretending to be somebody else can make you believe that he or she is up to some business offer, ask to meet up with you, and take your money. It has also become easier for someone to stalk you and harass you online.
You should make use of the pros and cons of social networking sites to take precautions in the kind of people you should trust and share some information about yourself to. The debates whether you should or should not be a part of the social networking community is never ending. And, at the end of the day, the best weapon that you have is sound judgment.