Social Networking and the End of True Friendship Essay

Since the Bulletin Board System there has been hundreds, and counting, of social networks created: most notably Twitter, Facebook, Kik, Snapchat, and Instagram. Today there are just over 3 billion active Internet users (45% of the world’s internet users), 2.1 billion of those people have social media accounts (Jeffbullas.com). People use social media for many numerous reasons. Most use social media to stay close to relatives and maintain social ties. Some of people’s most essential daily needs are accounted for by social media: whether it be interacting with friends or coworkers, following politics, or following the latest fashion trend set by the Kardashian

Ellison et al believed that Facebook is a ‘rich site’ for research into the quality of relationships due its ‘heavy usage patterns’ and the mechanics of how it is more about offline to online relationships due the nature of the creation of the site, for university students to communicate. Facebook in incredibly different from other CMC as many users actually know most their ‘friends’ in real terms on the site.

The world around us is constantly evolving due to the increased emphasis on social media. Around the world, billions of us use social media every day, and that number just keeps growing. As a young adult, we usually imagine social media as being our virtual way to connect to individuals across the world through Instagram, Facebook, and even Snapchat. These three sources of media along with a vast amount of many others bring humor and entertainment to our daily lives. Our growing appreciation for Social media is redefining the global landscape. It affects how we communicate with individuals, how we keep up to date with the latest news, and how businesses and brands now operate. there is much more to the world of social media that we have not

In his article, Is Facebook Making Us Lonely, by Stephen Marche; he discusses the impact that social media has on humans today. He states, "We live in an accelerating contradiction: the more connected we become, the lonelier we are," (Marche). Therefore, he believes despite the escalation in social media, the more of it, the more likely we are to become lonely. Furthemore, the reason people became so attached to Facebook was due to the fact that it arrived at the right time; people have become accustomed to social media. He also makes claims about the negative aspects of social media, and how it impacts people psychologically and socially. To support his thesis he provides various types of evidence: facts, statistics, and expert opinions.

In “Me and My 400 Friends: The Anatomy of College Students’ Facebook Networks, Their Communication Patterns, and Well-Being,” Manago, Taylor, and Greenfield seek to understand if there is a trade-off between large networks of social connections on social networking sites (such as Facebook), and the development of intimacy and support among today’s generation of young adults. Published January 30, 2012 and consisting of 12 pages of research, the study was conducted by online survey distributed to students at a large urban university. Participants answered questions about their relationships by sampling their Facebook contacts while viewing their online profiles. The findings of this study indicate the transformation of the nature of intimacy in the environment of a social network site, while also emphasizing the psychological importance of audience in the Facebook environment. It is suggested that social networking helps young adults satisfy psychosocial needs for permanent social relationships in a geographically mobile world.

In this day and age, social media has become an integral part of our lives. It has created a platform for people to share information instantly and communicate with people all around the world. Facebook is the most outstanding example of successful social media network. According to the first quarter 2015 earnings announcement by Facebook, the site has achieved 1.44 billion active users per month, and 65% of which are daily active users. Other social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn are also a powerful means of communication. With such a large audience, social networking sites provide ample opportunities to acquire information, network, and connect with friends.

“Social media allows people to connect with each other to create and share information. It is people-powered communication, an authentic dialogue motivated by a basic human desire to share information” (CIPD, Social Media and Employee Voice Report 2013). ‘Click’ and my message is on its way to my friend’s Facebook inbox hundred of miles away. The astonishing speed of how quick we can communicate in today’s societies, all thanks to social media. The invention of Facebook simplified everything we know about communication. We can connect to people whenever and wherever, sharing information has never been more convenient and exciting. In Shane Hipps’ Article, “ Is Facebook Killing Our Souls?,” he has no intention to impede technological advancements, instead he wants users to understand technologies with insights. According to my research, although Hipps ' points has some merits, I disagree with him because he overgeneralized the impacts that Facebook and other social media has on users’ behaviors and identities.

According to writer Martin Beck, “Nearly two-thirds of all Americans use social media” (2015). Social media networks are websites that are dedicated to communication, recreation, and sharing with others. Social media is a cultural phenomenon that is worldwide, including websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For instance, Facebook is essentially life displayed on a screen that can be seen by friends, family, and peers. A person can upload pictures, videos, write messages to each other, and reconnect with people. In his article, Beck writes that prior to the creation of Facebook only 7 percent of Americans used social media (2015). Over a ten year span, 27 different surveys, and 62, 000 interviewees, Beck discovered that 90 percent

Social media does impede on real world friendships and interactions because it takes away from one-on- one emotional experience with close friends which is vital for a happier and healthier life. Social media is ruining true friendships and conversation. Social media takes away from face to face relationships that are so important. Face to face relationships requires commitment, time, and nurturing. Social media sites impede on relationships by threating true friendships.

Social media has caused an uproar in recent times. Political figures such as President Trump, have used social media to embarrass himself and the country, countless people lose jobs everyday due to posts on social media, and Kids are influenced into making bad decisions because of trends. One of the major key events in all of this is the development of “Facebook”. Facebook was one of the very first platforms that allowed everyone to access it, ever since then, our modern lifestyle has been in a decline. Social media is a common tool in modern life, however, it has caused many problems, including a corruption in our political system, damaging careers, and having a negative impact on children. With social media having such a value to society today, it is crucial to correct these errors in social media.

In less than two decades, social media has revolutionized modern communication and information sharing. What began as a simple form of social networking has turned into innumerable platforms for people around the globe to share ideas, create and share businesses, promote brands, read news from various sources, as well as share and find vast amounts of information, among many other uses. Thus, with a few clicks of a button, people are now able to interact with someone on the other side of the world. The capabilities created through social media’s many uses have forever changed global politics, business, and interpersonal communication.

The internet was invented roughly about 30 years ago by the World Wide Web. However, the first social media came out circa 20 years ago. The name of it was Six Degrees and it was created by Andrew Weinreich in the 1900’s. Six degrees users had the capabilities of uploading a profile, making friends, and sending messages with family and friends. Nevertheless on 2004, Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg, a 19-year-old who created the biggest social media that changed the world. Till this day, Facebook probably has up to 2 billion users and still counting. Nonetheless, most people seen on Facebook ranges from their teens to mid-40s, that have the capability of spreading information across the globe setting a chain reaction that created and spread fake news. Social medias’ fake news is spread by a heap of people that are easily convinced by false statements. According to Gretel, “In the midst of a nationwide debate over the proliferation of fake news on social media sites – and, as one 2015 study by the Media Insight Project shows, at a time when nearly 9 in 10 Millennials regularly get news from Facebook – the numbers, at first glance, may point to a bleak, uninformed future.” (n. pag.) Therefore, teens need to use social media to disintegrate some of the repercussions of real news.

The world has never before been connected as much as it is today. One’s ability to communicate through various mediums is rapidly advancing, and this is much thanks to social media.

Facebook is currently largest social networking site in the world based on monthly unique visitors – attracting 130 million unique visitors every day (Alexa Inc. 2012). The site’s popularity exploded in 2007 and it bypassed its social networking rival, MySpace, in April 2008 (Phillips 2007). Over the last few years Facebook has impacted people’s social lives in various ways. With its availability on modern smart phones, Facebook enables users to continuously stay in touch with friends, relatives and peers wherever they are in the world as long as they have internet access. It can also group people together who share beliefs and interests and has been known to even reunite lost family members and friends through its enormous social reach

Facebook, a social networking website, has changed the way people communicate with each other. A social networking website is an online platform that allows users to create a public profile and interact with other users on the website. Facebook has even changed our most personal and private conversations and how they are conducted around the world. Since the internet’s birth in 1983, this trend of online communication has been growing. Created in 2004, now registered with more than one billion participants, Facebook’s user numbers surpass even the top four social networking websites combined. According to Wikipedia statistics, Instagram has 300 million registered users, LinkedIn has 200 million users, Classmates.com has 50 million users, and Flickr has 32 million registered users. To be further convinced of the claim that Facebook indeed changes the way we communicate, you would only need to create your own Facebook account and start participating in their social networking experience. Technology and internet usage is fused into every aspect of our society including the style of communication. The launch of Facebook in 2006 also enabled other devices such as touch phones, interactive tablets, and even advanced cars with their own networking capabilities starting in 2007. Facebook is a multibillion-dollar company and is highly recognized for connecting more people than other networks. Facebook’s long-term success can be attributed to providing entertainment, world news, and