Week+4

__//**03/02/12 **//__

Social networking has had both a positive and negative impact on my life. After graduating from high school, the only way I could communicate with my old boyfriend was through Facebook, Skype, MSN, BBM, etc. We were in different countries, which made phone calls very expensive. Social media websites like the ones I mentioned made talking to him as simple as the click of a button. Social media websites make overseas communications easily accessible; I can talk to my cousins in Egypt on WhatsApp and know what they’re doing step-by-step. Even though people in different countries are separated by physical barriers and more importantly time zones, they can communicate with each other by means of these media sites without feeling the time lapse.

However, I don’t think that communications in cyberspace can replace real-life interactions. Despite the fact that social media websites have facilitated long-distance communication, they don’t make up for time that could have physically been spent with our faraway friends and family.

I think that social media websites have helped me form more concise ideas in terms of writing. On Facebook and Twitter, there is a strict character limit that forces the user to choose careful words and try to express an idea or thought in a short, precise form. Personally, this has helped me write better essays and papers for my classes.

Social media websites have helped me stay up-to-date with world news. I don't watch a lot of television, which means that I get most of my news updates from Facebook and Twitter. During the revolution in Egypt last year, I found out most of what was happening through what my friends were saying on Facebook and through what others were saying on Twitter (Obviously, I was here during the whole revolution). I believe that all broadcasting networks are biased, but that bias tends to decrease on Twitter and Facebook. The reason for that may be due to the fact that those who do the "reporting" on these media websites are regular people like myself who have no motives behind social networking other than connecting with people.

Last but not least, I think that social media websites are extremely entertaining. I enjoy going on websites like 9gag, where people poke fun at just about everything and then share it with the world. I believe that social networking websites are a sort of relief for many people, where they can "log out" of their current situations momentarily and just complain about it on Twitter or laugh it off on YouTube or 9gag.