Blog Social Networking
Social Networking allows individuals and corporations to engage on all types of platforms. Platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Snapchat, Reddit, etc. are examples of social networking technologies where information is readily available for others to view and read. There are multiple purposes for these technologies that range anywhere from things like acquiring a cooking recipe to getting updated on the latest news. Corporations use Instagram and Facebook to publicize ads that promote their products with the motive of grasping the attention of users and attracting them towards their company. Like most things, these technologies definitely have their pros and cons. The widespread of information that these platforms allow is a big pro and benefit. It is incredible that the whole world can find out the latest fashion trends, cooking recipes, makeup tutorials, news, etc. However, when our personal information becomes available to the public, that is not so incredible. There is definitely a dark side to social networking technologies. Snapchat came out with a feature a few months ago that allows you to find other users’ locations. Personally this does not make me feel safe at all. There is an option to disable this setting, but many might not be aware of this. Regardless, having your location exposed to the public can be very dangerous because you never know who may use this information for the wrong reasons. In the New York Times assigned reading, “In India, Using Facebook to Catch Scofflaw Drivers,” Heather Timmons explains how Facebook is used as a digital informant to expose the drivers who violate traffic laws. A Facebook page was created by the traffic police that allowed residents to post pictures and videos of drivers who were not following the rules. This allowed the Delhi Traffic Police to issue tickets to the wrongdoers which essence helps keep the town and its members become a safer place. Timmons illustrates, “despite some concerns about privacy, and the authenticity of the photos, the public’s response has been overwhelmingly positive.” Yes, the pictures and videos that are being posted of the wrongdoers does reveal information about their license plate along with the image of their face, however, I do not believe this poses as a real privacy threat or concern. No real information that risks their safety is being publicized therefore I believe creating a Facebook page to prevent traffic violations is a benefit of social networking. As stated in the article, “with just 5,000 traffic officers in this city of 12 million people, the social networking site is filling a useful role.” With a population that big, getting the help of social networking this way allows it to become an extra hand to the traffic officers of New Delhi. Even the Zuckerberg family has experienced privacy concerns regarding their own private content. As explained in the article “Facebook Privacy is so Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Photo Isn’t Private,” Randi Zuckerberg posted a family picture on the Poke app where Vox Media marketing director Callie Schweitzer was able to view this picture and post it on Twitter. The mysterious thing about this was that Schweitzer was able to get access to this picture when it was not posted for the public to view. This is a con regarding social networking platforms. There are always little loopholes that allows private information to somehow become public. Rebecca Greenfield, author of this article, explains “the way Facebooks works, friends of your friends tagged in a photo album can also see the entire roll.” Facebook’s confusing privacy settings have made people such as Randi Zuckerberg uncomfortable posting intimate pictures online because it makes people feel like nothing is just theirs anymore. Social Networking’s dark side can definitely cause users stress and discomfort about their private information becoming public someway somehow through hackers for example. I personally am concerned about how these technologies will evolve in the future. It has become a prominent issue that online platforms are not completely safe however many companies make money off of spying on user information and data which raises high concerns on what is more important. These technologies may evolve in the future by becoming more accessible to the public while finding new ways how to upload and interact online. For example, Juul Pods can be bought online only after you enter your age and social security number so verification can take place. This is a good and bad thing because it prevents minors from acquiring this device but it also puts your social security number into the system that may not be 100% safe. Social Networking technologies have many pros and cons to them.
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