Social Networks: Good or Bad for Society?

Social networks have become one of the main means of communication and interaction in the globalized world and this has been mainly because of the fact that a large number of individuals have access to them. The easy access to social networks has led to a situation where it is possible for people from all over the world to interact and share ideas despite the fact that they come from different backgrounds and cultures. Because they do not need physical contact between those individuals who are communicating, social networks have become among the cheapest means of communication since all one has to do is to log onto a network using a mobile device in order to gain full access. Social networks have become such a common and basic feature of the society today that it has become hard to picture a world without them. However, while social networks have enabled easier interaction between individuals across the world, they have both positive and negative influences on their users.

Social networking sites have, since their conception, developed on the internet and these have come to have an immense influence on the lives of the people who use them. These networks have become so influential that quite a large number of people in the world, especially the younger generations, use these sites in their daily lives. Social networks have made the interaction between people in different parts of the world easier, because there is no longer any need to have physical contact for communication to take place. Instead, they have made communication to become non-physical, with more people subscribing to the use of social network sites to communicate every day. Because of this easier means of interaction, it has become the norm for individuals to share ideas and while most of these ideas tend to be extremely helpful, there are some cases where the information shared between individuals through social networks, can be extremely negative and even dangerous (Bateman, et al 79). This is especially true of the spread of terrorism where jihadist and terrorist groups have created accounts in social networks which are used for the purpose of recruiting young people to go and fight wars in parts of the world away from their homes. In addition, these terrorist groups have come to use social networks as a means of ensuring that they secure the necessary financial support from potential donors, using propaganda, so that they can continue to run their activities. This use of social networks is therefore not good for the society an has to be strictly monitored by law enforcement agencies to ensure that the users, especially the younger generation, does not fall victim to the dangerous propaganda spread through these networks.

Social networks are based on the ability of individuals who use them to socialize because without the socialization aspect, it would be impossible for these networks to continue their existence. Therefore, social networks have effectively ensured that the need for human beings to socialize has been satisfied, as well as enabling those individuals who use them to be able to communicate with large numbers of people at the same time. Because of the easier means of socialization, it has become possible for individuals to interact with one another from the comfort of their homes, making it possible for them not to have to interact physically. This negation of physical interaction has become unhealthy for certain individuals, especially when one considers the fact that a large number of people, because of spending most of their time on social networks, neither have the time nor the inclination to participate in physical exercise (Park, et al 896). The lack of physical exercise has led to the development of health problems in the society such as obesity and diabetes; conditions which are very harmful to the human body. The existence of these medical conditions is increasingly becoming a matter of concern which have been for the large part blamed on the increasing dominance of social networks on the lives of individuals. Moreover, it has become the culture for many individuals in the society, especially at work, to spend more time in social networks than on their work, and this has created a situation where the work output of employees has decreased in recent years.

Businesses have also come to take advantage of the social networks as a means of promoting themselves among their potential customers. Companies have used this opportunity to ensure their customers get information through social networks such as Facebook and MySpace and this has enabled customers to communicate with the producers expressing their opinions on specific goods and services. Social networking sites have not only managed to fulfill the need for individuals to communicate with one another, but they have also created a situation where companies have come to rely on them to interact with their customers (Grossberg 4). The fact that a large number of companies have come to market and sell their products through social networks has enabled the latter to become ever more useful features of global commerce because without them, a large chunk of the global economy would become redundant. However, these networks have become the means through which companies promote their products in a way which appeals to the vanity of their customers and not based on any truth. Therefore, some products which are not even credible have come to be marketed through social networks and these have come to make individuals spend on products which are not up to standard; losing their money in the process.

In conclusion, as has been discussed above, social networking sites have, since their conception, developed on the internet and these have come to have an immense influence on the lives of the people who use them. In addition, social networks are based on the ability of individuals who use them to socialize because without the socialization aspect, it would be impossible for these networks to continue their existence. Moreover, businesses have also come to take advantage of the social networks as a means of promoting themselves among their potential customers. All of these have been found to have one negative consequence or another on the society and this is the reason why social networking sites are not good for our society.