Wall Post 1: Going out to lunch with my niece.

Wall Post 2: Working on homework, it never ends!

Wall Post 3: Can you say Big Ten Champs? I can smell the roses. Way to go Buckeyes!

If you are familiar with Facebook (and I’m guessing you are), you recognize the phenomenon of “wall posts” immediately: they are those always-appearing messages we read and write on a daily basis to keep tabs on everyone and advertise our doings to the world. It seems as though advanced technology has allowed social networking sites the ability to control our lives. There is now a new idea of socialization, and it has dramatically changed everything about the way individuals interact with one another, from friends, to employers, to even romantic partners. These sites influence our maturity level, health, and affection towards others. Social networking sites can be extremely beneficial; however, we also need to be able to recognize the negative scenarios that can occur.

Years ago, technology did not allow the opportunity to interact with others in the manner it does today; therefore, people had to go outside their comfort zones to meet new individuals. Social networking sites, on the other hand, now allow people to simply sit in front of a computer and stare at it for hours—disregarding face to face interaction. Particularly, Facebook allows individuals to author wall posts (as seen above) where people can write whatever is on their mind.  Whether it be what Sara is doing, what Joe had for lunch, or who Cari loves, it is all publicized to all users of Facebook (unless you’ve made sure that your profile is private and only friends can view your page). Often, users of social networking sites get on their profiles numerous times during the day to “check up” on everyone’s statuses. How can one go on with their day if one is not able to know what everyone is doing? It is the legal, non-threatening way of “stalking” in the twenty-first century.

A lot of this can relate to one’s maturity level—how one may react when seeing an unfavorable post, comment, photo, etc. For example, if Kyle is dating Kelly and Jeff wrote “hey cutie” on Kelly’s wall, how Kyle will react will depend on his maturity level. Will he just drop it and trust his girlfriend?  Will he start a fight with Jeff?  Or may he take his anger out on Kelly? In some cases, users may even have to get the police involved and file for a restraining order on these uncontrollable, obsessed users. However, restraining orders do not stop everyone. This can cause the situation to reach the maximum, leaving the user that is being harmed in a dangerous position. Surely, any individual should be able to recognize that social networking sites are getting completely out of hand if individuals’ actions are escalading to the extreme. Most, if not all, users of social networking sites are aware of these possible scenarios; however, we all just assume it will not happen to us.

These sites influence our maturity level, health, and affection towards others. Social networking sites can be extremely beneficial; however, we also need to be able to recognize the negative scenarios that can occur.

Of course, there are some effects of these sites that users are more than likely unaware of. These include: health risks, job opportunities, and legal issues.  I am sure there are very few (if any) users who use social networking sites like Facebook and think to themselves, “Man, this is really harmful to my health,” or “This picture of me half-naked holding a beer is going to look great to the company looking at my profile determining if I seem reasonable for that job.” Surely, none of us users think that way; however, both of these situations are effects of these sites. These sites can work against future and current employees.  If certain individuals post inappropriate photos, comments, statuses, etc. it may be brought to their supervisor’s attention and the correct actions would then be taken. These sites may not just affect employees or future employees, but also students. As many know, college students (most not all) tend to go to parties quite often. Through the pictures that are posted through these sites, police can detect where these parties may be taking place and keep an eye on those certain areas. Police will then begin to make sure students are not drinking underage and keep the area safe. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey, over 25% of 1150 hiring managers determined whether or not an individual would be hired due to the information they obtained from Internet search engines. Of the 25%, 12% had access personal networking sites (like Facebook) to do so.

Lastly, social networking sites affect our health tremendously. Obviously, sitting in front of a computer requires zero physical activity. If users are on these sites throughout the entire day one can determine that these individuals are eating while also being on these sites. All human beings get hungry. Clearly, this will affect our weight greatly. Statistics show that sitting in front of the computer all day causes poor posture, eye strain, poor circulation, and causes individuals to eat way too much, severely affecting one’s health. Since our new computerized interaction involves zero face to face interaction, there is no motivation for individuals to leave the house or to go exercise, creating health risks we can’t afford to ignore.

Upon examining the many effects of social networking, one can clearly see how potentially dangerous these sites might become. Being a college student, I know that almost every fellow student engages in some type of social networking site—whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.  Personally, I love Facebook and find it very beneficial while trying to stay in touch with old friends from high school; however, I am aware of the negative aspects of social networking sites and keep that in mind while using them. As a first year student here at The Ohio State University, I had difficulties with my roommate I was assigned to live with. After going through the process of moving out, I moved into a different room. A few days later, my old roommate began messaging me and harassing me through Facebook. Taking the appropriate actions, I took the messages to my Hall Director and the following consequences were taken from there. Would this have happened if Facebook was not available for quick, seemingly consequence-free interaction? Probably not!

It is clear, then, that these social networking sites can be very beneficial for keeping up with family members, friends, etc.; however, one must be aware of the possible dangerous scenarios that can occur and know how to handle these situations. Users of social networking sites should take advantage of the option of making their profiles private—what is it hurting?  Think how much trouble you can save yourself with a few clicks of a mouse! I also encourage users to use these sites for the advantageous reasons but to also not let the sites hold you back. Go out in the real world, meet people, and take the time to get to know someone in person rather than through computerized interaction. All in all, users of these sites need to be aware of the obvious and not so obvious effects of these sites and use them with their utmost caution.

The Ohio State University

Autumn 2009