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Facebook is prevalent, runs the gamut from normal to extreme users, and is skewed towards younger people; but how are they using it? Proponents of social networking sites say that the online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family; offer teachers, librarians, and students valuable access to educational support and materials; facilitate social and political change; and disseminate useful information rapidly (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013). Opponents of social networking say that the sites prevent face-to-face communication; waste time on frivolous activity; alter children’s brains and behavior making them more prone to ADHD; expose users to predators like pedophiles and burglars; and spread false and potentially dangerous information (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013). Social media site growth has sometimes outpaced the development of rules, laws, and etiquette regarding their use (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013).

Social media site growth has sometimes outpaced the development of rules, laws, and etiquette.
Facebook the New Frontier

         Written by:  Laura Bevis

Social Media Uses

              

 

 

        Facebook is so prevalent in our society, it feels as though it has been around forever when in actuality it is a relatively new frontier.  Social media is now pervasive in our world with existing social networks expanding, niche social networking sites being created for educators, medical professionals, and other groups, and new social media sites popping up regularly, all accessible 24 hours a day via computer, tablet, smart phone, and Internet-enabled devices (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013).  Although Facebook was not the first social media platform it is without a doubt the most prevalent in our society today. Facebook was launched in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg to connect people. Facebook reported one billion monthly users worldwide on October 4, 2012, making it the most popular social networking site with one in seven people on the planet using the site (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013). That is just 9 short years from one user to one billion users. Every day, Facebook manages 2.7 billion "Likes,” 300 million photo uploads, and 2.5 billion status updates and check-ins (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013).  Prevalence is defined as the degree to which something is common or widespread. If the statistics are correct, 1 in 7 people on the planet use Facebook, it stands to reason that its presence in our society is prevalent.

 

 

Image courtesy of: Social Media Market. (n.d.). Social Media Market. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from www.techwyse.com/blog/social-media-marketing/what-facebook-graph-search-means-for-seo-2

​Two-thirds of businesses fear that social media endangers corporate security and one in four social networking site users unwittingly exposes him/herself to crime by revealing personal details (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013). Seven million households that use Facebook reported problems in 2012, ranging from someone using a log-in without permission to being threatened online or in person, a 30% increase from 2011. Phishing, the act of attempting to acquire personal information for identity theft, increased 240% on social networking sites from 2008 to 2009 (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013). Criminals use social media to commit and promote crimes, gangs use the sites to recruit younger members, coordinate violent crimes, and threaten other gangs; offline crime, like home robberies, may result from posting personal information such as vacation plans or stalkers gaining information about a victim’s whereabouts from posts, photos, or location tagging services (Social Networking ProCon.org, 2013). Articles outlining the "proper use and etiquette of social networking" pop up around the Internet on a near-daily basis, and self-proclaimed experts regularly police sites like Twitter to call out users they believe are acting inappropriately (How Social Networking Has Changed Society | PCWorld, 2009). With each new frontier that a society confronts new norms must be established.

Resources

  

5 big things big data just revealed about Facebook users | Digital Trends. (2013). Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/what-can-big-data-tell-us-about-facebook-users/

 

How Social Networking Has Changed Society | PCWorld. (2013). Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.pcworld.com/article/162719/social_networks.html

 

Social Networking ProCon.org. (2013).  Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://socialnetworking.procon.org/

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