Social Networking Rough Draft

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mLblPmaEB-fpa5S5-aC4cIQy6l1Zy68xaU2g_LOMMTM/edit

Social Networking Counterclaims

     With the ever-increasing popularity of social networking websites, there have been many arguments claiming that this craze will lead to detrimental effects on young adults. However, there also have been a few counter arguments by individuals and groups that estimate that the benefits of social networking outweigh any negative effects.  I have found a few examples of counterclaims, and why I believe they ultimately do not sway my argument.


1.  Marketing firms have alluded to the fact that although most social networking sites are free to join, they do create revenue through advertising.  Many companies will pay to have their logo plastered on the site itself, or shared as a blog post, status update, or tweet. Karen Frazier states that "global social networking revenues will exceed $10 billion in 2013." This is expected to generate more revenue than produced by print ads, but still comes nowhere close to that of the revenue created through television.  Ultimately, I feel this has more to do with the ever decreasing popularity of print ads such as newspapers and magazines, and less to do with people logging on to social networks to look at advertisements.

2.  Information posted on sites such as Facebook and Twitter is logged, and is compiled into data by algorithms that other websites and phone companies can use to predict patterns of individuals.  This can be used, for example, to compare a group of users' interests and frequented places, to predict whether or not they would have a positive, healthy relationship.  I agree with Giles in his questioning; is this really the kind of privacy we as individuals want (40-43)?  Though its been proposed, not proven, that this kind of data collection could even be used for suicide watch and prevention, there comes a point where privacy takes priority.

3.  Another popular argument as to why social networking is a good thing, is that it can be a strong foothold for positive real life relationships.  Relationships not created by outside databases, but ones that stem from online communication between individuals and among groups.  Sam Laird counters this with a statistic stating, "Worldwide, Facebook users spend 10.5 billion minutes each day surfing the site - and that doesn't even include mobile use, according to the company's IPO filing."   These are critical minutes that people are wasting online, instead of spending strengthening real relationships they already have, or creating new ones outside of the internet (Laird). This coincides with my argument that healthy, real life relationships are created face-to-face, not over the internet.

Works Cited

Frazier, Karen. "Negative Impact of Social Networking Sites." LoveToKnow. Love To Know Corp., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. <http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Negative_Impact_of_Social_Networking_Sites>. 1. This is an article from the website socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com. 2. I will be using the section regarding privacy with social networking. 3. This will be used in the section of my argument associated with privacy issues.

Giles, Jim. "The Oracle of Facebook." New Scientist 214.2862 (2012): 40-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. <http://http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=28&sid=734558ac-c552-438c-ad58-73f45b1566b5%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=74710978>. 1. This is an article titled "The Oracle of Facebook" that was published in the "New Scientist" journal. 2. This is a major source for me, I will be using pieces from the entire article. 3. I will be using this article as key argument examples throughout my paper.

Laird, Sam. "Is Social Media Destroying Real-World Relationships?" Mashable.com. QuinStreet Inc., 18 June 2012. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. <http://mashable.com/2012/06/14/social-media-real-world-infographic/>. 1. This is an article published on the the website mashable.com. 2. I will be referring to the survey of the effects social media has on individuals. 3. This will be used as supporting evidence in my argument that social media is destructive in face to face interactions.

Annotative Bibliography

For the annotative bibliography this week, I have outline the websites and databases I will use to gather information to back my argument.  Below I have provided a link to these sources.





https://0-docs.google.com.library.lanecc.edu/document/d/1QLv81jV2WAbzOrRNxq1PjPa_zUryoZ1q-QC6XeaM4F4/edit

Prospectus

What issue do you plan to address (worded as a one-sentence question)?

     >In what ways has the social media craze in the last five years effected young adults age 18 through 25?

What is your tentative answer to the question?

     >In my opinion, as social media is becoming ever more popular, young adults are experiencing many improvements in communication abilities, but the negative effects have had a much larger effect.

What personal interest or stake do you have in this issue?

     >As a 22-year old college student, I am directly effected by social networking sites every day.  I am a user of sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as other networking vices that relay information among peer groups.  I have used these sites as a useful communication between myself and my peers, but I have also seen the negative outcome of the addictions these sites can create.  These websites have become more convenient with the introduction of apps available for downloads on popular smartphones.  This has made Twitter and Facebook a priority for many people in my age group, when they should be used for entertainment or simple communication.

Why is this a controversial issue?

     >This is controversial because so many young adults are developing an addiction; a constant need to have access to the social networking world around them.  There have been studies that lead people to believe this has destructive effects on social well-being, the ability to communicate outside of social networking, and even safety when it comes to things like distracted driving.  The other side of the argument, from the viewpoint of the young adults primarily, is that social networking is nothing more than a fun way to express opinions, harmless conversation, or simple communication.  I feel like there aren't definitions in dispute, other than what possibly might be considered "social networking".  My argument is mainly on the topics of Twitter, Facebook, and other popular sites such as Myspace.

Who is the audience you need to persuade?

     >The audience I am trying to persuade are the people in my peer group.  I am referring to young adults ages 18-25.  These are the people who struggle to find an issue with the over-use of social networking.  I am attempting to get this audience to see that there are potentially negative short-term and long-term effects.