Hansel: The Social Network

Facebook is incredibly influential on the adolescents’ lives. The way we socialize is vastly different due to Facebook. For example, one of my best friends today is largely due to Facebook. I did not know him too well in real life, but I was Facebook friends with him. I started noticing that his posts and comments were quite hilarious and coincided with my sense of humor. Gradually, I started talking to him in school more and more often to the point where we became full on friends. Another example is how my mother continues to associate with her old high school friends displaced to other parts of the country. Due to Facebook, high school reunions are much easier to schedule. I also know some friends of mine who have suffered due to Facebook. This involved so called “cyber bullying.” Whether or not this is right, I do not believe in any way that there should be government regulations on social networking sites.  We should not waste our money making sure some kid does not get bullied on Facebook. It is not the government’s responsibility to do this, nor should it be in their power. If Facebook starts to abuse its power, people will simply stop using it. If they do not, it is their fault for partaking in something like that. Facebook knows this, which keeps them from abusing the power.

I know of some other social networking sites, most of them are less socially influential than Facebook. One of them is Tumblr, which is a blogging website. You can post text, however it is mostly meant to blog, or reblog, pictures that you think are cool.   Twitter involves nothing but status updates, most of which are along the lines of “My sheets were all twisted up today. #firstworldproblems” or the less popular “My soccer team kicks ass, but my brother runs a drug cartel. #secondworldproblems.” I have not really noticed any sort of social influence with Tumblr, other than possibly breeding a generations of whiny, introspective teenage photographers. Twitter, however, has a lot of influence. For example when Reggie Bush posted “Nice knowing u, New Orleans”, or something of the sort. Everyone interpreted it as him being traded away from the Saints. There was a big fuss over the whole situation. Similar occurrences have been reported involving athletes and celebrities of the like.