In modern day society, there seems to be an endless debate about the positives and negatives about the impact of social networking. Social networking has become one of the most influential things on my generation, and has influenced my generation in more ways than one. There are social media outlets for everything now days. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Tumblr, etc. are all used by people all around the world. The constant need to be connected goes beyond social media. Businesses use numerous social networking sites for communication and advertising. This instant access to other people makes staying connected very easy and the desire to steer clear of social networking is a characteristic inhibited by a small percentage of the …show more content…
The University of Southern California and the University of Southern California Berkeley conducted a research study where they looked at 5,000 hours of online observation found that, “The digital world is creating new opportunities for young people to grapple with social norms, explore new interests, develop technical skills, and work on new forms of self- expression.” The study also concluded that, “in our increasingly technological world, the constant communication that social networking provides is encouraging useful skills.” It is true that in the technological age being able to use technology and connect with others is crucial, especially for those who are entering the real world and are starting jobs. Teens and adolescents are not strictly choosing to only communicate online, but are simply adapting to the times. Lisa Tripp, an assistant professor at Florida State University says, “It is not about writing a blog, but also how to leave comments that say something. Learning to communicate like this is contributing to the general circulation of culture.” Social networking is not inhibiting teens from communication skills, rather it is helping them to expand their network. Social networking allows adolescents to communicate with people from all walks of life, and with people they have never met. It modern teens to not become familiar with …show more content…
However, despite my unwavering opinion, I do see more validity behind the other side of the argument after conducting my research. I am still a firm believer in the fact that social networking is still having an exceptionally negative impact on the ability for the next generation to have face-to-face conversations. As stated in the research study, even the ability to read body language and forms of other non-verbal communication is being impacted. On the other hand, however, there is a strong argument to be made concerning the need for social networking in today’s technological