The Psychological Impact of Social Networking Essay

Facebook is estimated to have over 845 million users, mostly college-aged young adults. Its explosive growth and reputation in social networking have made it not only a market leader, but also a household brand name. The audience is global (excluding China) and the site has now been translated into 70 different languages.

Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Instagram, and Flicker was invented to keep us in touch and keep us closer to our family and friends. But according to How Facebook ruins Friendships “we took our friendship online” (Bernstein). First we began communicating more by email than by phone and then switched to instant messaging or texting. By joining social Medias online

Relationships and intimacy are important during adulthood, especially during young adulthood. Happiness at this developmental stage often come from relationships that are formed. Even young adults who are not looking to form long-term or lasting relationships typically still focus on connections with others.

The introduction of the internet was accompanied by a major revolution in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) including the introduction of social networking sites. A social networking site is defined as a website that allows a person to interact with other people that the person is connected to (Zhang, Zhu and Hildebrandt, 2009). Interaction on social networking sites occurs through making friendship with other people, sharing experiences with these friends, posting photos with friends, liking friend’s photos and posts and responding to what friends post on social networking sites. In other words, social networking sites are websites that allow people to socialise with other people including friends and strangers. Examples of social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikis, Orkut, Flickr and LinkedIn among others.

Social networking sites are web based and applications that allows users to communicate via-web to share their content or follow with other users. For example the most well known online networking sites are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When you sign up to these sites it asked you to make a profile, which can be time consuming, but you can alter it for your needs as an enjoyment. Online networking has become a very significant piece of social communications inside our society. For example when you meet another person, one of the principal things you do is include them on your friends or followers list on social media. This is a form of communication. We communicate to people every day through all different forms of interpersonal communication.

A social networking site is described as a service that connects people from different areas and builds relations with them based off similar careers, interests, beliefs, etc. These social networking sites (SNS) have become incredibly popular for due to its ability to connect people worldwide. Older individuals use it for reuniting with old family and friends that they haven't seen in years, but SNS popularity lies primarily with young-adults. These young adults, especially college students, use SNS as a means of communicating with people, both new and old, and use it for a variety of reasons. However, the big question we asked pertains not only to these SNS and its use, but

Social Networking as defined by [Boyd and Ellison, 2008] is “web based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others”.

Social networks have immensely shaped as well as changed the contemporary society. Human interactions, in various settings, such as the workplace and social spaces have been extremely re-designed that a person can communicate, interact, and share his or her daily life experiences with whomever he or she pleases with just a few clicks of the button. Digital social networking has influenced all age groups and aspects of human life. Therefore, if implemented in the correct manner, it stands exceedingly useful in helping individuals and entities, such as businesses flourish and become prosperous (1). Digital social networking could be defined as an organization of persons, brought closer, often by

Although social networking sites are still in their infancy, they have certainly become a primary means of communication and connectivity for millions of consumers. While most Internet users have heard of the largest online social networks like Facebook and MySpace, thousands of smaller networks exist that connect individuals through specific user communities (e.g. educators, physicians, professors, etc.). Boyd and Ellison (2007) define social networking sites as:

Examines gave proof which recommends that dependence on Social Network and systems administration might be a potential noetic and physical wellbeing difficulty. Measurements demonstrate that 55% of adolescents uses Social Network systems and the time spent on Facebook by individuals augmented by 566% from 2007 to 2008 (Kuss and Griffiths, 2011). Individuals who have higher use of pleasant systems administration destinations (SNSs) were seen to be less included with their valid life groups. The common profiles of dependence can be loner or outgoing

As adolescents and adults growing up during the advent of the new Millennium we have ourselves been privy to many of technological advancements. A slew of devices and modern conveniences have become integral parts of our day to day lives and have for the most part been a welcome addition to our lives. Of these various modern conveniences we have witnessed and in a sense played a role in the evolution of communication by way of smartphones and the Internet. A key component of this change is the manifestation and development of social networking and the various outlets that are its counterparts. Websites that have essentially become mainstays of our day to day lives and outlets for our thoughts and feelings such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like have played a crucial role in the redefining of social norms in many spheres of our lives and interactions with our peers.

Approximately one in every thirteen people in the world has a Facebook account. With this being said, it puts into perspective just how popular social networking is. As of 2011, over 500,000,000 people were registered on Facebook, and over half of them log in daily. With this being said, the demographic changes with age. Younger people and elderly people are less likely to have a Facebook, while 48% of adults age 18 to 34 have them. That’s almost half of that age bracket, an astonishing find to the popularity of social networking. But why do 72% of internet users in the U.S. have a Facebook? The answer is that it is appealing. People like being able to record their lives, and are happy to show them off to

Over the years there has been a dramatic increase in the use of social networking sites such as: MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and many more. “Starting out as an easy way of communication, social networks have accelerated their pace towards transforming our lives.” (Livingstone, S. 2008)

My possible topic is the Perils of Social Networking. five questions about it include is social networking used as just another way of seeking validation and acceptance in order to define who we are? Does social networking provide a way to compare our images and accomplishments with another’s instead of connecting with them or complimenting them, and how do we deal with our feelings about that? How does social media affect what we care about, such as how liked and accepted we are in real life compared to how many likes we get on photos and other posts? Are friendships on social media easier to maintain, and does that make a better foundation or are they just convenient? Why do we shut ourselves off from human interaction and pushing ourselves away from the world, instead believing that online interaction is enough?

Social networking can be thought of as using internet based websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as other services, such as applications and mobile-based technologies, to interact and communicate with people from across the world, and to share information, pictures, and resources with a very large audience. Social networking sites can also be used to find other users who have similar interests as you and is a reliable way to keep in contact with people who you are regularly in touch with as well as family or friends who live throughout the world (Social Networking, 2016) and (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).