PRO Social Networking Sites
- Social networking sites spread information faster than any other media. Over 50% of people learn about breaking news on social media. [1] 65% of traditional media reporters and editors use sites like Facebook and LinkedIn for story research, and 52% use Twitter. [2] Social
networking sites are the top news source for 27.8% of Americans,
ranking close to newspapers (28.8%) and above radio (18.8%) and other
print publications (6%). [1] Twitter and YouTube users reported the July 20, 2012 Aurora, CO theater shooting before news crews could arrive on the scene [3], and the Red Cross urged witnesses to tell family members they were safe via social media outlets. [4]
- Law enforcement uses social networking sites to catch and prosecute criminals. 67% of federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals surveyed think "social media helps solve crimes more quickly." [5]
In 2011 the NYPD added a Twitter tracking unit and has used social
networking to arrest criminals who have bragged of their crimes online. [6]
When the Vancouver Canucks lost the 2011 Stanley Cup in Vancouver, the
city erupted into riots. Social media was used to catch vandals and
rioters as social networking site users tagged the people they knew in
over 2,000 photos posted to the sites. [7] [8]
- Social networking sites help students do better at school.
59% of students with access to the Internet report that they use social
networking sites to discuss educational topics and 50% use the sites to
talk about school assignments. [9]
After George Middle School in Portland, OR introduced a social media
program to engage students, grades went up by 50%, chronic absenteeism
went down by 33%, and 20% of students school-wide voluntarily completed
extra-credit assignments. [10] [11]
- Social networking sites allow people to improve their relationships and make new friends. 70% of adult social networking users visit the sites to connect with friends and family [12], and increased online communication strengthens relationships. [13]
52% of teens using social media report that using the sites has helped
their relationships with friends, 88% report that social media helps
them stay in touch with friends they cannot see regularly, 69% report
getting to know students at their school better, and 57% make new
friends. [14]
- Social media helps empower business women. Being
able to connect on social networking sites gives business women a
support group not readily found offline where female CEOs of Fortune 500
companies are outnumbered by male CEOs 15 to 485. [15]
Many social media sites are dominated by women: 72% of Pinterest users
are women, 58% of Facebook users, 62% of MySpace users, 60% of Yelp
users, and 53% of Instagram users. [16]
Business women useTwitter chats to support each other, give and receive
peer knowledge, and have guest "speakers" share expert knowledge. [17] One.org helps African women entrepreneurs connect on social media to grow their businesses. [18]
- Social media sites help employers find employees and job-seekers find work. 64% of companies are on two or more social networks for recruiting [19]
because of the wider pool of applicants and more efficient searching
capabilities. 89% of job recruiters have hired employees through
LinkedIn, 26% through Facebook, and 15% through Twitter. [20] One
in six job-seekers credit social media for helping find their current
job. 52% of job-seekers use Facebook for the job search, 38% use
LinkedIn, and 34% use Twitter. [21]
- Being a part of a social networking site can increase a person's quality of life and reduce the risk of health problems.
Social media can help improve life satisfaction, stroke recovery,
memory retention, and overall well-being by providing users with a large
social group. Additionally, friends on social media can have a
"contagion" effect, promoting and helping with exercise, dieting, and
smoking cessation goals. [22]
- Social networking sites facilitate face-to-face interaction. People use social media to network at in-person events and get to know people before personal, business, and other meetings. [23] Pew
Research Center's Internet and American Life Project found that
messaging on social media leads to face-to-face interactions when plans
are made via the sites and social media users messaged close friends an
average of 39 days each year while seeing close friends in person 210
days each year. [24]
- Social networking sites increase voter participation. Facebook users reported they are more likely to vote if they see on social networking sites that their friends did. [25]
During the Nov. 2010 elections, Facebook users who visit the site more
than once a day were 2.5 times more likely to attend a political rally
or meeting, 57% more likely to persuade someone about a vote, and 43%
more likely to say they will vote. [26]
During the 2012 presidential election, 22% of registered voters posted
about how they voted on Facebook or Twitter, 30% were encouraged to vote
by posts on social media, and 20% encouraged others to vote via social
networking sites. [27]
- Social media facilitates political change. Social
networking sites give social movements a quick, no-cost method to
organize, disseminate information, and mobilize people. [28]
The 2011 Egyptian uprising (part of the Arab Spring), organized largely
via social media, motivated tens of thousands of protestors for
eighteen days of demonstrations and, ultimately led to the resignation
of Egyptian President Mubarak on Feb. 11, 2011. [29]
A July 4, 2011 tweet from @Adbusters with the hashtag #occupywallstreet
started the American Occupy movement, which gained traction in Sep.
2011 when protesters gathered at New York City's Zuccotti Park and
remained there until Nov. 15, 2011. [30]
- Social networking is good for the economy. Social media sites have created a new industry and thousands of jobs in addition to providing new income and sales. [31]
A McKinsey Global Institute study projects that the communication and
collaboration from social media could add $900 billion to $1.3 trillion
to the economy through added productivity and improved customer service.
[32] Facebook posted $1.26 billion for third quarter 2012 revenue, up from $954 million for third quarter 2011 earnings. [33] Twitter, a private company, earned an estimated $350 million in 2012 revenue. [34]
- Social media sites empower individuals to make social change and do social good on a community level. Social
media shares popularized nine-year old Scottish student, Martha Payne,
and her blog, "Never Seconds," which exposed the state of her school’s
lunch program prompting international attention that resulted in changes
to her school and the formation of "Friends of Never Seconds" charity
to feed children globally. [35] [141] Jeannette Van Houten uses social media to find owners of photographs and mementos strewn from houses by Hurricane Sandy. [36]
Hillsborough, CA freshman varsity soccer goalie Daniel Cui was blamed
for and bullied about a losing season until over 100 of his teammates
and classmates changed their Facebook profile photos to one of Cui
making a save, silencing the bullies and building Cui's confidence. [37] [38]
- Social networking sites help senior citizens feel more connected to society. [39] [40]
According to a 2010 Pew Internet & American Life Project study, the
74-year old and older age group is the fastest growing demographic on
social media sites with the percentage quadrupling from 2008 to 2010,
from 4% to 16%. [41]
Seniors report feeling happier due to online contact with family and
access to information like church bulletins that have moved online and
out of print. [39]
- Social networking sites help people who are socially isolated or shy connect with other people. [42]
More than 25% of teens report that social networking makes them feel
less shy, 28% report feeling more outgoing, and 20% report feeling more
confident (53% of teens identified as somewhat shy or "a lot" shy in
general). [14] Youth who are "less socially adept" report that social networks give them a place to make friends [43] and typically quiet students can feel more comfortable being vocal through a social media platform used in class. [44] Shy adults also cite social media as a comfortable place to interact with others. [45]
- Social media allows for quick, easy dissemination of public health and safety information from reputable sources. The US military and Department of Veterans Affairs use social networking to help prevent suicide. [46]
The World Health Organization (WHO) uses social media to "disseminate
health information and counter rumours," which was especially helpful
after the Mar. 2011 Japanese earthquake and nuclear disaster when false
information spread about ingesting salt to combat radiation. [47]
The Boston Health Commission used social media to get information to
its 4,500 Twitter followers about clinic locations and wait times for
vaccines during the H1N1 outbreak. [48]
- Social media can help disarm social stigmas. The Sticks and Stones campaign uses Twitter to reduce stigmas surrounding mental health and learning disabilities. [49]
The Stigma Project uses Facebook to "lower the HIV infection rate and
neutralize stigma through education via social media and advertising." [50]
Gay people speaking openly on social networking sites, like Facebook
site Wipe Out Homophobia, help achieve a greater social acceptance of
homosexuality. [51] [52] Jenny Lawson, author of the blog "The Bloggess" and New York Times bestseller Let’s Pretend This Never Happened,
has made public her struggles with OCD, depression, and anxiety
disorders, which has lessened the stigma of the diseases for others. [53]
- "Crowdsourcing" and "crowdfunding" on social media allows people to collectively accomplish a goal. A mother was able to find a kidney donor for her sick child by posting a video on her Facebook page. [54] Planethunters.org, a science social media site, discovered a planet on Oct. 16, 2012 via crowdsourcing. [55]
Crowdwise, a social network devoted to crowdsourcing volunteers and
crowdfunding charity projects, raised $845,989 (as of Nov. 20, 2012) for
Hurricane Sandy victims. [56] [57]
Followers of Pencils of Promise on social media have helped the
non-profit build 74 schools (with 26 more in progress and 7 more planned
as of Nov. 19, 2012) and educate 4,500 children. [58]
- Social networking
provides academic research to a wider audience, allowing many people
access to previously unavailable educational resources.
Information previously restricted to academia's "ivory tower" can now be
shared with the public who do not have access to restricted journals or
costly databases. Researchers from a wide variety of fields are sharing
photos, providing status updates, collaborating with distant
colleagues, and finding a wider variety of subjects via social media,
making the research process and results more transparent and accessible
to a larger public. [59] [139]
- Corporations and small businesses use social media to benefit themselves and consumers. Small
businesses benefit greatly from the free platforms to connect with
customers and increase visibility of their products or services. [60]
Almost 90% of big companies using social media have reported "at least
one measurable business benefit." For example, large chain restaurants
are using social media to quickly disseminate information to managers,
train employees, and receive immediate customer feedback on new items,
allowing for quick revision if needed. [61] 80% of companies are expected to have customer service on social media by the end of 2012. [62]
- Social networking sites
offer teachers a platform for collaboration with other teachers and
communication with students outside the classroom. [63] [64] [65]
More than 80% of US college and university faculty use social media;
more than 50% use it for teaching; and 30% for communicating with
students. [66]
Educators from around the world interact with each other and bring
guest teachers, librarians, authors, and experts into class via social
networks like Twitter and social networking tools like Skype. [67] [68]
Edmodo, an education-specific social networking site designed for
contact between students, teachers, and parents, reached over ten
million users on Sep. 11, 2012. [69]
- Social networking sites offer a way for musicians and artists to build audiences even if they don’t have a corporate contract. [70] 64% of teenagers listen to music on YouTube, making it the "hit-maker" for songs rather than radio (56%) or CDs (50%). [71] [72]
For example, pop star Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube when he
was 12 years old, and, in 2012 at 18 years old, Bieber’s net worth was
estimated at $80 million. [73] [74]
The National Endowment for the Arts found that people who interact with
the arts online through social media and other means are almost three
times more likely to attend a live event. [75]
- Colleges and universities use social media to recruit and retain students. 87% of colleges and universities use Facebook to recruit students, 76% use Twitter, and 73% use YouTube. [76] Colleges and universities use Facebook apps and other social media tools to increase student retention. [77]
Social networking sites are also being used to give students a support
system at community colleges that tend to be commuter based and can
leave students with no in-person social network. [78]
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CON Social Networking Sites
- Social media enables the spread of unreliable and false information. 49.1% of people have heard false news via social media. [1]
On Sep. 5, 2012 false rumors of fires, shootouts, and caravans of
gunmen in a Mexico City suburb spread via Twitter and Facebook caused
panic, flooded the local police department with over 3,000 phone calls,
and temporarily closed schools. [79]
Shashank Tripathi, tweeting as @ComfortablySmug, spread false
information in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy by posting on Twitter
that the New York Stock Exchange was flooding and that the power company
would cut off electricity to all of Manhattan; the bogus information
was picked up by national news outlets including CNN and the Weather
Channel. [80]
- Social networking sites lack privacy and expose users to government and corporate intrusions. 13
million users said they had not set or did not know about Facebook's
privacy settings and 28% shared all or nearly all of their posts
publicly. [81] The US Justice Department intercepted 1,661 pieces of information from social networking sites and e-mails in 2011. [82]
The 2009 IRS training manual teaches agents to scan Facebook pages for
information that might "assist in resolving a taxpayer case." 4.7
million Facebook users have "liked" a health condition or medical
treatment page, information that is sometimes used by insurance
companies to raise rates. [81] [83]
- Students who are heavy social media users tend to have lower grades.
Students who use social media had an average GPA of 3.06 while
non-users had an average GPA of 3.82 and students who used social
networking sites while studying scored 20% lower on tests. [84] College students’ grades dropped 0.12 points for every 93 minutes above the average 106 minutes spent on Facebook per day. [85] Two-thirds of teachers believe that social media does more to distract students than to help academically. [86]
- Social networking sites can lead to stress and offline relationship problems.
A University of Edinburgh Business School study found the more Facebook
friends a person has, the more stressful the person finds Facebook to
use. [87]
According to a Feb. 9, 2012 Pew Internet report, 15% of adult social
network users had an experience on a social networking site that caused a
friendship to end, 12% of adult users had an experience online that
resulted in a face-to-face argument, and 3% of adults reported a
physical confrontation as the result of an experience on a social
networking site. [88]
- Social networking sites entice people to waste time. 40% of 8 to 18 year olds spend 54 minutes a day on social media sites. [89]
36% of people surveyed listed social networking as the "biggest waste
of time," above fantasy sports (25%), watching TV (23%), and shopping
(9%). [90]
When alerted to a new social networking site activity, like a new tweet
or Facebook message, users take 20 to 25 minutes on average to return
to the original task. In 30% of cases, it took two hours to fully return
attention to the original task. [91] 42% of American Internet users play games like Farmville or Mafia Wars on social networking sites. [92]
- Using social media can harm job stability and employment prospects.
Job recruiters reported negative reactions to finding profanity (61%),
poor spelling or grammar (54%), illegal drugs (78%), sexual content
(66%), pictures of or with alcohol (47%), and religious content (26%) on
potential employees’ social media pages. [21] Anthony Weiner, former US Representative, was forced to resign after a Twitter sexting scandal in 2011. [93] Several athletes were banned from the 2012 Olympics because of their racist social media posts. [94]
- The use of social
networking sites is correlated with personality and brain disorders,
such as the inability to have in-person conversations, a need for
instant gratification, ADHD, and self-centered personalities, as well as
addictive behaviors. [81]
Pathological Internet Use (caused or exacerbated by social networking
use) is associated with feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety and
general distress. [95] The 2013 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM) is evaluating "Internet Addiction Disorder," for inclusion. A
2008 UCLA study revealed web users had fundamentally altered prefrontal
cortexes [96] due, in part, to the fast pace of social networking sites rewiring the brain with repeated exposure. [97]
- Social media causes people to spend less time interacting face-to-face. A
Jan. 2012 Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School
study found that the percentage of people reporting less face-to-face
time with family in their homes rose from 8% in 2000 to 34% in 2011. [98] 32% of those surveyed were on social media or texting during meals (47% of 18-34 year olds) [99]
instead of talking with family or friends. 10% of people younger than
25 years old respond to social media and text messages during sex. [100] [173]
- Criminals use social media to commit and promote crimes. Gangs use the sites to recruit younger members, coordinate violent crimes, and threaten other gangs. [101] Offline crime, like home robberies, may result from posting personal information such as vacation plans [102] or stalkers gaining information about a victim’s whereabouts from posts, photos, or location tagging services. [103]
- Social media can endanger the military and journalists.
The US Army notes that checking in with location based services on
social networking sites like Foursquare or Facebook could expose
sensitive whereabouts and endanger military personnel and operations. [104] In 2011 a Mexican journalist was murdered by the Zetas drug cartel because she used Twitter to report on cartel crime. [105] A
blogger was found murdered by a Mexican cartel in 2011 with the note
"this happened to me for not understanding that I shouldn’t report
things on the social networks." [106] [140]
- Social networking sites harm employees' productivity. 51% of people aged 25-34 accessed social media while at work. [147] Two-thirds of US workers with Facebook accounts access the site during work hours [107] Even
spending just 30 minutes a day on social media while at work would cost
a 50-person company 6,500 hours of productivity a year. [108] 51% of American workers think work productivity suffers because of social media. [109]
- Social networking sites facilitate cyberbullying. 49.5% of students reported being the victims of bullying online and 33.7% reported committing bullying behavior online. [110] 800,000 minors were harassed or cyberbullied on Facebook according to a June 2012 Consumer Reports survey. [81] Middle school children who were victims of cyberbullying were almost twice as likely to attempt suicide. [46]
Adults can also be victims of cyberbullying, from social, familial, or
workplace aggression being displayed on social media sites. [111]
- Social networking sites
enable "sexting," which can lead to criminal charges and the unexpected
proliferation of personal images. Once restricted to
cell phone texts, "sexting" has moved to social media with teens
posting, or sending via messaging, risqué photos of themselves or
others. In 2008 and 2009, US law enforcement agencies saw 3,477 cases of
youth-produced sexual images with 2,291 agencies seeing at least one
case. [112]
As a result, teens and adults are being charged with possessing and
distributing child pornography, even if the teen took and distributed a
photo of him/herself. [113]
88% of private self-produced sexual images posted to social media are
stolen by pornography websites and disseminated to the public, often
without the subject's knowledge. [114]
- People who use social networking sites are prone to social isolation. Social
networking can exacerbate feelings of disconnect (especially for youth
with disabilities), and put children at higher risk for depression, low
self-esteem, and eating disorders. [42] The "passive consumption" of social media (scanning posts without commenting) is related to loneliness. [115]
- Social networking sites
encourage amateur advice and self-diagnosis for health problems which
can lead to harmful or life-threatening results. One in five Americans uses social media for health care information. [116] An American Journal of Public Health study
revealed that, "Social media may also pose a hazard to vulnerable
people through the formation and influence of ‘extreme
communities'—online groups that promote and provide support for beliefs
and behaviors normally unacceptable by the social mainstream such as
anorexia, suicide, and deliberate amputation." [46]
A North Carolina blogger was criminally charged with "practicing
dietetics or nutrition without a license" for offering potentially
dangerous nutritional advice about the Paleo diet while posing as an
expert. [117]
Jeffrey Benabio, MD, searched for "eczema" on Twitter and found, in the
first 100 results, 84 were spam and several others gave harmful and
sometimes bizarre advice like using toothless fish to eat eczema
affected skin. [118]
- Social media aids the spread of hate groups. A
Summer 2012 Baylor University study examined Facebook hate groups
focused on President Barack Obama and found a resurgence of racial slurs
and stereotypes not seen in mainstream media in decades like blackface
images and comparisons of President Obama to apes. [119] Social networking sites allow hate groups to recruit youth and to redistribute their propaganda. [120]
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center the Christian Identity
religion, a splinter faction of the white supremacist group Aryan
Nations, uses social media to recruit members. [121]
- Children may endanger themselves by not understanding the public and viral nature of social networking sites. The 2012 film Project X,
about an out of control high school house party due to social media
promotion, prompted copycat parties across the US resulting in arrests
for vandalism, criminal trespassing, and other offenses. [122] Up
to 600 Dutch riot police had to be called in to break up a teen's
birthday party to which about 30,000 people were accidentally invited
after a Facebook post thought to be private went viral (quickly moving
on to Twitter and YouTube as well). As a result, at least three people
were hurt and 20 people were arrested for vandalism, looting, setting
cars on fire, and damaging lampposts. [123] In 2012, a similar incident happened in Los Angeles and resulted in the teen host beaten and hospitalized. [124]
- Social networking enables cheating on school assignments. Students
in California, New York City, and Houston posted photos of standardized
tests to social media sites, allowing students who had not yet taken
the tests to see the questions (and potentially find answers) ahead of
time. [82] The SAT has had similar problems with students posting parts of the exam to social media. [125] [126]
- Social networking sites' advertising practices may constitute an invasion of privacy. An
ExactTarget marketing strategy report tells companies, "When a user
clicks on a [Facebook] like button belonging to your brand, you’re
immediately granted access to additional information about this
customer, from school affiliation and workplace information to their
birthdate and other things they like… [M]arketers can access and
leverage data in ways that will truly alarm customers." [127]
From social media sites, simple algorithms can determine where you
live, sexual orientation, personality traits, signs of depression, and
alma maters among other information, even if users put none of that data
on their social networking profiles. [128]
- Social media can facilitate inappropriate student-teacher relationships.
The Texas Education Agency opened 156 cases about "inappropriate
relationships" between educators and students in the 2011-2012 school
year; 86 cases were reported in 2007-2008 and education experts blame
the rise of social media for the increase in cases. [129]
Social media allows for unsupervised interactions between students and
teachers, which can easily escalate into sexual or otherwise
inappropriate relationships. [130]
- Unauthorized sharing on
social networking sites exposes artists to copyright infringement, loss
of intellectual property, and loss of income. Social media sites have copyright regulations but they can be difficult to enforce. [131]
Pinterest relies upon the re-publication of images from the web and, if
users do not use the site conscientiously, artists’ content can be
posted without license, attribution, or payment. [132] Vogue Spain was
accused of stealing New York street photographer Sion Fullana's
Instagram photos and posting them to their own Instagram feed without
acknowledging the source. [133]
- Using social media can harm students' chances for college admissions. College administrators scan Facebook profiles for evidence of illegal behavior by students. [134] [135]
A 2012 Kaplan Test Prep survey found that 35% of college admissions
officers discovered information like essay plagiarism, vulgarities, or
illegal activities on social media that "negatively impacted prospective
students' admission chances" (up from 12% in 2011). [76]
- Social media posts cannot be completely deleted and all information posted can have unintended consequences. The Library of Congress has been archiving all public tweets from Twitter's Mar. 2006 inception forward. [136]
Information about an affair posted on Facebook, for example, can lead
to and be used against someone in divorce proceedings because the
information, once posted, can never be completely deleted. Facebook was
named as a source of information in one-third of all divorces filed in
2011. [137]
- Social networking site users are vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, identity theft, and viruses. Social
networks do not scan messages for viruses or phishing scams, leading to
large-scale problems like the 2012 virus Steckt.Evl spread from
Facebook's chat window. [138]
68% of social media users share their birth date publicly, 63% share
their high school name, 18% share their phone number, 12% share a pet's
name; each of those pieces of information is frequently used for account
security verification and can be used for identity theft. [103]
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