Research Writing Blog

If you’re someone’s friend on myspace, are you actually their friend? Myspace and Facebook are two very popular social network sites. They provide fast and easy ways of staying in touch with anyone and everyone who has an account; Whether you really know them, or not. Just becuase someone is your friend, or even your top friend, on one of these social network sites, does not mean they’re really your “friend”. In the article “Friends, Friendsters, and Top 8: Writing Community into being on social network sites”, by Danah Boyd, Boyd says that a friend is, “a relationship that involves some degree of mutual love or admiration.”. I agree with her definition of a friend. In order for two people to be friends, you usually have to have talked to the person, know them on a better level than you would an acquaintance, like them, and be liked back by them. I would not consider someone who I pass on my way to class every monday, wednesday, and friday, a friend, so why would I consider someone i’ve never met but has sent me a myspace friend request a friend? I think many times people “friend” people on these social networks is just becuase. If you know of someone, or maybe your friends are friends with someone, and you want to see their profile but it’s sent to private, you request them. Not becuase your friends with them, but to be “connected”. I’m not quite sure why people do that, becuase if you don’t know the person, why would you want to be “friends” with them or have access to their information, pictures, wall posts, etc. Just as I think people send friend requests to feel connected, I think that’s also why people accept them from complete strangers, or acquaintances. I know that I myself will accept a request if I see someone has the same friends as I do, not becuase I am friends with them or will end up talking to them, but I would feel bad, or rude, ignoring their request. I’m sure many other people do the same. While I do think that some people, probablly with nothing better to do with their time, look up people and request them because they’re interested and maybe want to be friends, I don’t think they’re really friends, they’re just creepy.

What are some pros to social networking? What are some cons to social networking? Why do you involve yourself in social networking?

I think that social networking can have many pros to it. Social networking over the internet is probablly one of the easiest and fastest ways to meet all different types of people. Also, almost everyone is online, and knows how to use the internet these days. It’s also a free way of networking. There are a lot of cons to social networking over the internet too. These cons come espeically from myspace and facebook, with myspace being the worser or the 2 i’d say. People are posting anything and everything on their pages, from partying pictures to surveys talking about doing drugs, etc. I just recently found out that employers can pay facebook to get on and see a persons account, even if it’s set to private, and they can also view things that the person had on there and deleted. That really scares me. I am going to school for teaching, and It’s good to know people and have good connections in that type of work, but it’s also very strict, with all the clearances and all. I am afraid that not only teachers, but all other employers will start doing those types of things more often. I know that i do social networking online right now just for fun, and to keep in contact with my friends. I don’t have any real reasons right now, and if I did i don’t think i’d be doing it over facebook, and i do not own a myspace account.

Q. Do you think online sex offenders be treated the same way as the others who commit this crime in the real world?

A. I think that they should becuase it is essentially still the same crime. I think it is a very serious crime, no matter which way it is committed. These days, where pretty much everyone is online, I think it makes it so much easier for these people to commit these types of crimes and for them to get away with it. Younger and Younger kids are logging onto the net, and are more succeptible to these kind of crimes, becuase they do not know any better. I think that sex offenders using the internet may be even worse in a way, becuase they know that..and use it to their advantage. Either way, the same type of stuff is going on.

I definatly think, especially after reading this article, that technology changes the way that people interact with each other. There is so much communication over computers and the web, which is good in the sense that it allows us to be connected pretty much to whoever, whenever…but there are times to know when it’s appropriate to use, and when you’re going overboard! For example, it is so much easier to say somthing through AOL or email, than it is to say it to someone’s face, becuase you feel like you’re hidden behind a computer screen. There are ups and downs to that though; It’s a good thing when you need to say something you couldn’t say in person, but it’s a bad thing if it’s something that needs to be said in person. While I think the internet and online communication is mostly great, easy, and fast…I feel like it is making us not as actually connected with people, and not as personal anymore.

I aggree with McLuhan’s arguement that the media is completely taking over all aspects of our lives, and that we need to understand the media to understand our society and culture. For example, Myspace and Facebook pretty much take over some peoples lives; And it has become even worse over the years. It really makes me wonder, what will be next? Or how much more involved these programs will get; What all else they will be capable of? As for the format of the book, I really liked it. It was a lot different from any other books i’ve ever read and it really kept me interested. I’m not realy sure why some of the pictures were in there, or what their purpose was, but I still really liked looking at them. I also liked the format of the text, I think it made it easier for me to read when it was set up all crazy, versus lines and lines of text. I think that the non traditional format of this book, even though it is 40 years old, shows us just how text and books can be so easily changed and so much different, just like technology.