Topic 2 Week 4 - Social Networking Sites

'I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitised and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf,' - Susan Greenfield a neuroscientist, talking about social networking sites in the Daily Mail (2009). What she's saying could be argued but i personally think its over dramatic. I love facebook like anyone else, but there's no way that i could use the site as my base for social interaction.

Mark Vernon from the Guardian (2009) has countered this argument by saying that there's not enough evidence to suggest these claims by Susan Greenfield. He talks about a friend called Lisa who used these sites as a lifeline. She had problems in her life and talked about it on the internet, her friends and family did the best they could in supporting her but the emails and replies she got from these sites was uplifting. He basically says that all thats a bit of 'common sense', use it wisely and when you need it. I dont think anyone would live their life like that, their whole life on social networking sites.

He also looked at two Taiwanese psychologists who published results in a peer-reviewed journal, CyberPsychology and Behaviour, which suggested that hundreds of students who blog, say how they feel more socially responsible and better connected, not less. Their virtual exchanges complement their offline relationships, leading to a deepening of both. I think this is very true. I can talk to the people that i see out and about daily, then in the evening i can talk to my family who live in Brighton, even my 11 year old brother on MSN and people who might not talk to if i didnt use social networking sites. It sustains relationships instead of the other way round.








http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/25/socialnetworking-neuroscience


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1153583/Social-websites-harm-childrens-brains-Chilling-warning-parents-neuroscientist.html