Asocial-Social Networking

Asocial-Social Networking  

Social networks have become an enormous part of our lives. Although they are the most practical mediums of communication between people all over the world; one can’t help but feel that they are doing more damage to our society than any good.

Social networks are causing alarming changes in the minds of young users. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Mxit, Bebo and MySpace are said to shorten the attention spans of the youth and encourage instant gratification. These ‘social’ networks harm the social development of every boy and girl in the world as it detaches you from society. “Social networks have really become the garden fence of the 21^st century, and are used for very much the same purpose as community meeting places. We are at the end of the early adoption phase, which was dominated by young people, and social networking is now a mainstream activity enjoyed and used by all age groups, practically those in their thirties” –Carolyn Holgate, General Manager of MWEB connect.

Most people believed that these social networks are mostly associated with teenagers. What’s alarming is the fact that parents do not know just how serious this issue is; so it’s looked at as a phase in a teen’s life. Unfortunately that’s not the case; your child might grow up to be addicted to social networks as the average age of usage is from the mid twenties to early thirties. The issue is so big that companies suffer, due to their staff not being productive as a result of social networks. A survey was done in South Africa to calculate the average age of users for each social network and the numbers are an eye opener.

·         Facebook 33 Years

·         MySpace 32Years

·         Twitter & YouTube 31 Years

·         Mxit 27 Years

Social interaction through any screen (Computer or mobile) is fundamentally different from spoken conversations because spoken conversation occurs in real time with no time for you to think up a clever or witty response. Social networks are a dangerous place with many people; some not even who they say they are. Our generation spends hours and hours on these networks trying to keep friendships with acquaintances and the time previously spent interacting socially has increasingly been displaced by the virtual variety. Social networks have subjugated its users to the point where even in our physical networks, groups of people can sit together but still be detached from each other…are you one of them ? Unlike other living species, humans need social experiences to learn their culture and to survive. People are shaped by their social influences, so what generation of people are we being shaped to become? Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University neurologist and director of the Royal Institution, believes that repeated exposure could effectively ‘rewire’ the brain.

These networks might be called social networks but there is nothing social about separating us from our physical networks. We detach ourselves from family, friends and people around us in general as we communicate less with them and chat more on these networks. These networks are channelling and controlling our minds/thoughts along with our perceptions…are they succeeding. Well, only you know the answer...