The New York Times article, Is Facebook Growing Up Too fast? , discusses the rapid growth of Facebook. In only eight months, the ever-growing number of Facebook members doubled. When it is a number like 100 million that is doubling, that is a huge success.
This social networking site is changing our lives now and forever. In all of history, communication has never been so easy between people all over the globe! Facebook co-founder and chief executive, twenty-four-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, explains that he hopes one day for the entire world to be connected. “Two hundred million in a world of six billion is tiny,” he says. “It’s a cool milestone. It’s great that we reached that, especially in such a short amount of time. But there is so much more to do.”
Facebook is helping everyone in the world stay connected. In a matter of seconds you can find someone you have not seen since elementary school. It makes staying in touch with people much easier. Instead of a long distance call, or hunting in a phonebook, you can simply send a message or leave a comment to the person you’re trying to reach, and in seconds! It even helps the military. When troops are overseas, Facebook promptly, and inexpensively, connects them to their family and friends in a different country. It is even being used to recruiting.
Facebook, however, is not the only social networking site making an impact these days. Both YouTube, and Twitter, have become very successful as well. These three sites make not only communicating with others easy, but they make it possible to instantaneously share videos, pictures, and music. Now that the sites are being offered in many different languages, it is no surprise they have gone global so fast. It is also no surprise that they have connected people from all different areas of the world together.
These sites are impacting the communication style of our generation, the Millennials. As previously mentioned, we can now find the people we were friends with in elementary school-people who have moved away- people who we would have never been in contact with again if not for social networking sites. The sites break through social barriers and make it easier for everyone to be friends.
The site also helps bring families together. Many of my cousins live out of state and I do not get to see them as often as I’d like to. Some have children now, and are always busy. It makes getting in touch difficult. After Facebook, I get to talk to them all the time. It is also nice because I can look at pictures, and YouTube videos of the kids, so I don’t have to miss as much of them while living in a different state. This is the same concept that goes on with military troops. It’s a great way for them to see their families. In the article, a woman found her 5th cousin who was the entire way across an ocean.
These sites are not only affecting homes, but classrooms as well. I cannot even count the number of times a teacher has pulled up a YouTube video for the class to watch. Teachers find videos that relate perfectly to their discussion and students love them because it is interesting. I think is having a very positive impact in the classroom. It is nice to hear something other than the teacher just talking, and it improves comprehension when students can actually visually see what teachers are talking about. I think it is great that schools are keeping up to date with technology, they would lose a lot of student’s interest if they didn’t. In MCOM101, we even have a class website that is similar to Facebook, but it is exclusive to our class. Here, we make friends with others in our class, and can share information, pictures, and videos. I think it is a great way to get the entire class involved… and it is fun at the same time. Working on computer is something this generation is very used to and comfortable with, so it is nice that our skills are coming in handy at school.
Workplaces are affected as well. I believe it is a positive outcome. Businesses can now easily connect with other businesses in foreign countries. With such easy access, making business deals is more efficiently and conveniently available.
Sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are impacting the professions of journalism, advertising, and public relations. I believe all three areas are being improved. For example, all of these new sources are giving journalists a million new things to write about. They could find a totally new topic every single day. Advertisers are paying these sites to flash their ads at the top and sides of the pages, and in return, the ads get viewed by millions everyday. They get much more advertisement than they would on a billboard. Quick invitations, announcements, and again advertising/promoting, are benefits of these sites for those in the field of public relations.
I love social networking technology and I think it is having an overall positive impact on the world today.
