I am sure many young adults like myself are very familiar with the term Facebook and below is a video I came across about the use of social media, citing Facebook as an exmaple, in the dating arena.
To "... look up and then hook up" an old flame over Facebook certainly is not uncommon. I have heard of friends and friends' friends who actually reconnected with their old lovers over Facebook and other social networking sites. Since social media is made for social interaction, I am not surprised that social networking sites such as Facebook can help in one's dating life.
Being a rather active and long-time facebook user, I see many of its merits. Consistent with studies cited from an article in New York Times, Facebook has actually made me more sociable. Before, I was unable to be updated with many people's lives at once and I feel that Facebook does the trick for me. I am now able to stay connected with more people through the news feed, facebook chat, message system and other features available. On the other hand, facebook also allows me to share my opinions, experiences, photos, videos and other information online to a wider audience at one shot.
There are, of course, downsides to everything. An article on ABC News that I read recently caught my eye: Facebook as Foreplay? Survey Says Social Media Leads to Sex Faster. I was quite astonished to read about this as I all along felt that social media, such as Facebook, connected people, in a healthy way. If people come to use social media for the wrong reasons, such as to get laid, it brings a whole new meaning to social media being used for inter-action. I definitely hope Facebook does not get abused by people who sign up for an account for ill intentions.
Other common issues cited by critiques of Facebook include the intrusion of privacy and distraction from real life activities, like stated in the article from ABC News. However, I personally feel that the users themselves dictate how and what social media should be like for them. We do not have to conform with how the majority of people are using social media and we have to be responsible for however we choose to use them. When social media is used in positive ways, it can definitely add value to our lives.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Internet and its advantages- Something I cannot live without
Ever since the Internet came about in the late 1950s, it has grown tremendously. Along with it came a whole bunch of advantages and I cannot imagine my life without the Internet today. Living in Asia, I am even part of the world's largest region of Internet users in the world. Source
File Sharing
File sharing has taken on a whole new meaning with the Internet age. The Internet has certainly made file sharing faster, cheaper and more convenient. Through electronic mail, instant messaging sites and other web services, file sharing is so common that I have actually taken it for granted. Even the form of file sharing is different than from the past. For example, we can be seen sharing our photos online more often now than sharing it physically through the hard copies of it, like in the past. Some popular file sharing websites I am familiar with include Facebook, Picasa and Photobucket. File sharing on the Internet has been such a great advantage for informal and formal purposes and it will only grow to become more sophisticated.
Entertainment value
With music downloads, movie downloads, social networking sites and a whole host of information readily available online, I find myself feeling queer if I do not use the Internet for a day. When I sent my laptop for servicing for about a week some time ago, I found myself feeling somewhat "empty" because I was not able to use the Internet for a week. This can perhaps be seen as an unhealthy over reliance on the Internet for entertainment purposes but offline entertainment sources should definitely watch out for this growth of online entertainment.
The power of communication over the Internet
I frequently use instant messaging services like MSN Messenger and teleconferening applications like Skype to keep in touch with my loved ones in and out of Singapore. In the past, staying in constant contact with family and friends overseas, even locally too, were more costly but thanks to the Internet and its accompanying technologies, it can all be done in greatly reduced costs. Businesses too are increasingly adopting the teleconferecing approach with their business partners due to cost advantages. Now, even mobile phones are equipped with Internet data plans and communication applications, which shows how much influence the Internet has on communication.
There are just too many Internet advantages that have sprung up over the years but these are just a few that I identify with the most. I am sure the Internet will continue to grow and perhaps in 50 years down the road, all these advantages could become obsolete.
File Sharing
File sharing has taken on a whole new meaning with the Internet age. The Internet has certainly made file sharing faster, cheaper and more convenient. Through electronic mail, instant messaging sites and other web services, file sharing is so common that I have actually taken it for granted. Even the form of file sharing is different than from the past. For example, we can be seen sharing our photos online more often now than sharing it physically through the hard copies of it, like in the past. Some popular file sharing websites I am familiar with include Facebook, Picasa and Photobucket. File sharing on the Internet has been such a great advantage for informal and formal purposes and it will only grow to become more sophisticated.
Entertainment value
With music downloads, movie downloads, social networking sites and a whole host of information readily available online, I find myself feeling queer if I do not use the Internet for a day. When I sent my laptop for servicing for about a week some time ago, I found myself feeling somewhat "empty" because I was not able to use the Internet for a week. This can perhaps be seen as an unhealthy over reliance on the Internet for entertainment purposes but offline entertainment sources should definitely watch out for this growth of online entertainment.
The power of communication over the Internet
I frequently use instant messaging services like MSN Messenger and teleconferening applications like Skype to keep in touch with my loved ones in and out of Singapore. In the past, staying in constant contact with family and friends overseas, even locally too, were more costly but thanks to the Internet and its accompanying technologies, it can all be done in greatly reduced costs. Businesses too are increasingly adopting the teleconferecing approach with their business partners due to cost advantages. Now, even mobile phones are equipped with Internet data plans and communication applications, which shows how much influence the Internet has on communication.
There are just too many Internet advantages that have sprung up over the years but these are just a few that I identify with the most. I am sure the Internet will continue to grow and perhaps in 50 years down the road, all these advantages could become obsolete.
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