what are the effects of social networking sites on society?

[ann s]

any ideas i mean what are its advantages and disadvantages?

[annabisfigola]

Computer mediated communication is a no longer a new phenomenon therefore I think much of the negative effect/stigma has been removed or has simply disappeared (i.e. that anyone communicating via the Internet is a paedo), the only people who cannot/do not see the usefulness of computer mediated communication are those who have absolutely no experience or understanding of their main uses.

Social networking sites such as face book were going to be an inevitability of the Internet being made readily available to the masses. It has been argued that social networking via the Internet is an extention to the traditional "public sphere", however when most people think of social networking the envisage annoying cattle-market communities such as face book, where people compete by exploiting their talents, looks or otherwise in order to find a partner, engage in lude sexual activity (all over their keyboards!) or just find a lonely local looking for sex. People often overlook real virtual public sphere's where alternative, minority or other cultural groups perform and practice their beliefs with like-minded individuals, and where members from all over the world can apply to join their virtual space.

They obviously have pros and cons, here's what I think;

The Advantages -
It connects minority groups and subcultures who otherwise wouldn't have the physical space/means to practice their beliefs.
It connects people who are otherwise unable to communicate with others in face to face scenarios, or at a specified time (old, disabled, or in other countries).
They do not rely on the space-time continuum, you can communicate asynchronously or synchronously depending on your and others' requirments.
Virtual space on the Internet is also used in business, i.e. video conferencing.

The Disadvantages -
They create more apathy, encourages txt spk, laziness; fat people who lack vitamin D because they spend every waking moment on their computer.
They are in most cases (face book) pretty pointless yet utterly addictive for some - facebook users argue that it allows you to stay in contact with old school friends who you rarely catch up with, but in my opinion if you're rarely having contact with these people then surely their not real friends and it's only for the purpose of spectacle that you look at their profile to laugh at what they're up to or what new silly hairstyle they have.
Often reality and virtual worlds collide and cause problems that otherwise wouldn't have been created, i.e. sending e-mails under the impression that they are private, coincidentally meeting someone you met online in the flesh when you are unprepared, people using your uploaded material without your permission, etc etc.
Social networking can be damaging to certain users - bullying etc is more likely to go on and stay unresolved as users can remain mostly anonymous in the virtual world.
As much as the media disproportionately cover paedophiles operating on the Internet, it does happen, and stupid kids may be in danger of meeting up with the wrong person in the wrong place (very rare but possible).