SOCIAL NETWORKS

Why did I choose this subject?

Because I had no idea what subject to choose for study, I asked some friends for help on Facebook. I realized all of a sudden how important these new ways of communication are for us nowadays. In less than ten years such networks exploded, invaded and influenced our daily life. Meanwhile, people started to question whether this phenomenon is a social progress or a sheer disaster.

What is a social network?

A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.

Some interesting Facebook status:

http://everybodysucksbutus.com/2010/01/20/more-reasons-why-facebook-sucks/

The twitter song by Simple Plan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VbkRUqOl94

CheckThis song goes out to all my Twitter fans, I love you.

I still remember the first time I heard about Twitter.

[yup]

I thought what the hell is this,is this something I should even consider.

[noone’s gonna use this]

Just when I was getting a hang of my MySpace page,

[Ah! Now I get it!]

But now no-one’s even checking, well I guess that was the MySpace phase.

[mmmhhm]

Well now I’ve got the phone app,I can post my twitpics.And follow Kim Kardashian

[or not]

All I really know is 90 000 people’s a lot.

[Yeah, that’s a lot of followers.I don’t care what you say, Justin Bieber]

Now I’m talking shit,saying things that I should keep for myself

[I’m picking my nose]

Like what I’m doing in the bathroomand the details of my sexual health.

[It’s like I’m a burning sensation]

It’s kind of funny thatmy account still isn’t verified.If I get two-a-hundred-thousandthen maybe I won’t be denied.

[mmmhmm]

Now I know the lingo, I can even hashtag (A hashtag is used to "tag" on twitter.)and RT (=retweet) all my friend’s tweets

[Sweet!]

All I really know is 90 000 people’s a lot.

Yeah that’s a lot of people! 90 000 followers!Thank you so much. All of our fans everywhere!

In Canada, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela,Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay,

everywhere in South America and Central America,you guys are amazing.

How about a shout-out to all our fans in Europe,We’ve got tons of people out there.

We’ve got Spain, Italy, France, UK,all the Scandinavian countries: Sweden, Norway,we’ve got people in Denmark.Switzerland,What’s up Russia!

A big shout-out to our fans down in Africa,And also in Australia, New Zeeland, down under, what’s up baby!

Everyone in Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia,Indonesia, all over Southeast Asia,

We love you,Peace out! We’ll see you on tour!

The Facebook Song -- Lynnea Malley (try to understand the lyrics on your own)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Olgk5u2Bg

Cyber Bullying

Megan Taylor Meier, an American teenager from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, committed suicide by hanging three weeks before her 14th birthday. A year later, Meier's parents prompted an investigation into the matter and her suicide was attributed to cyber-bullying through the social networking website MySpace. The mother of a friend of Meier, Lori Drew, was later indicted on the matter in 2008, but in 2009, Drew was acquitted.

Soon after opening an account on MySpace, Meier received a message supposedly from a 16-year-old boy, Josh Evans, but actually sent by Lori Drew using a fabricated account. Meier and "Josh" became online friends, but never met in person or spoke. Meier thought he was attractive. Meier began to exchange messages with this person, and was described by family as having had her "spirits lifted". This person claimed to have just moved to the nearby city of O'Fallon, was home schooled, and did not yet have a phone number.

On October 15, 2006, the tone of the messages changed, with Drew saying (via the account) "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends". Similar messages were sent; some of Megan's messages were shared with others; and bulletins were posted about her. According to Meier's father, Ronald Meier, and a

neighbor who had discussed the hoax with Drew, the last message sent by the Evans account read: "Everybody in O'Fallon knows who you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a bad rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you." Meier responded with a message reading "You’re the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over." The last few correspondences were made via AOL Messenger instead of Myspace. She was found 20 minutes later in her bedroom closet; Megan had hanged herself. Despite attempts to revive her, she was pronounced dead the following day.

What happened to this teenage girl? What are the dangers of social networks?

What do the following comic strips reveal about social networks?

It all started with the creation of Facebook: How was it created?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g03JYy5xWL8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzZRr4KV59I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3M3tgXk2_8

If you want to watch The Social Network, the movie

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=9NW9TLUR

Celebrities on social networks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-PdUZWBGUk

Social networking forums like Twitter and Facebook have managed to burrow into popular culture but users - including celebrities - faced with issues of privacy, abuse and even social fatigue, seem to be logging off such online sites or even trading one for the other.

Technology experts, however say, despite random instances, celebrities cannot afford to remain isolated from networking sites which offer them a forum to publicize their works and connect with fans much more than conventional channels.

Debate : Which side are you on? Are social networks a good thing or a bad thing?

What are the good sides and the bad sides of this phenomenon?

People already discussed about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UouP8cRYZ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQPUA4LEcjI&feature=related

Social Networking: Good, Bad, or Indifferent?

Social Networking has been in the news for a while, and I am sure it will be in the news a while longer. One observation is how diverse opinions can be about all things related to social networks and social networking.

This article from CNN warns about the "dangers" of Twitter, saying that it could numb your sense of morality.

LiveScience reports that Facebook users are getting worse grades than those who don't participate.

Immoral students who are failing sound pretty bad.

On the other hand, there are many suggestions the Social Networks are being used for good.

For all those students who are getting their letters of acceptance or denial out there, there are several colleges that are looking to Facebook to recruit students.CNN suggests actively participating online, especially social networking sites, can help you land a job.

There is even a study done at the University of Melbourne in Australia suggests that using the Internet for personal use (including social networking) can increase your productivity at work by up to 9%.

Getting into college, finding a job and being more productive sounds like a pretty good use of time.

We need to treat the Internet and social networks as we do with everything else; there are pros and cons to young people using them. There are a lot of teens getting in trouble over online mistakes, but there are a lot of young people getting in trouble having nothing to do with a computer. I think our job as parents and educators is to teach them right from wrong, regardless of the tool they are using.

Social Networking - The Good and Bad

According to the Center for Media Research, "Most parents in the United States estimate that their children spend about two hours a month on the Internet. In reality, kids and teens are spending upwards of 20 hours a month surfing the Web. Forty-one percent of U.S. teens claim their parents have no idea what they are looking at online. The most popular online activities are online dating (23 percent), social networking (50 percent), and playing games (72 percent)."

Facebook and MySpace, are two popular Internet sites used by children and adults that have become social getaways to chat, blog, post pictures, join groups, and make friends.

With a few clicks of the mouse, people can present their personal information and thoughts for anyone to see. What many people new to the Web do not realize is that there are risks involved and that they need to understand them before they post this kind of information. Teachers, employers, predators, and basically anyone who knows how to use the Internet can go online and find information about you. Ever done a Google search?

It is important to be aware of the risks of social networking in this cyber world we live in. It is important to remember not to post personal information, that no information is truly personal information, and anything you post and delete can still be found.

Sure, many social networks have an age verification required, but it is easy is it to go online and lie about one's identity. Law enforcement agencies now search these social outlets as a way to catch online predators. While realistically this is good, be aware that it is easy for anyone to steal your password, log in, and be you for a day. Understand, teach, protect. Do each of these to create a safe haven for you and your loved ones. The last thing you want to do is share information with the cyber world that you can't take back.

Think before you post.