Social Networking: Beneficial or Dangerous

Social Networking is Beneficial

Social networking refers to the connection between people for various reasons.  The application of social networking by using the Internet has expanded these networks to include at the basic level a person's acquaintances and friends but also their friends' acquaintances.  It is said that you can connect any two people through less than six acquaintances.  The idea is that the amount of people that can be connected grows exponentially as you move farther from a central person.  An online networking site allows for easier access to these connections and the ability to potentially act upon them.

Social networking not only allows the participants to connect with their friends but also with others who have similar interests.  Many sites allow for the creation of groups and blogs that provides opportunities for subscribers to interact with those who share their interest.  There are groups on subjects such as religion, music, movies, political views, and many more.  All users create a profile where they provide information about themselves and their interests.

There are many different social networking sites and many of them begin by being directed at a specific audience.  I want to look at some of them but this is not anywhere near an extensive list. 

             MySpace - MySpace is the largest social networking site with more than 100 million members.  This site has a large base of musicians.  Many budding artist share their work on their pages while professional artist promote their most recent productions.  Although there are many artist there are also many other  people and companies that also have a page.  If a media center wanted to verge into this world of social networking MySpace would be the place to do this.  One reason is the number of participants that would be presented with  the information.  MySpace is also very user friendly and accessible to all.  It is important not to merely recreate a media center website but cater to the audience.  Many media centers have audio materials available and there is a component on MySpace that allows for a song to be linked and played on the media center page.  This would be a great place to present new and exciting materials as well as tips to using the media center.  There could also be a blog feature where patrons could freely give their honest opinion on the media program and ways to improve them.

             Facebook - Facebook started as a networking site at the college level.  It has been expanded to include high schools, corporations, organizations, and geographical areas.  There is a little more security related to Facebook because people can only see the profiles of those people or organizations that are set as friends or are in a particular network, such as school or geographic area.

             LinkedIn - LinkedIn is a social networking site for those who are business oriented.  On the site people connect in order to find business opportunities.  This site limits contact to those people who are friends.

             LiveJournal - LiveJournal is a blogging website that connects users.  This could be useful in a media center to allow for literature circles.

A media center's use of social networking site could be deterred by the fact that many of these sites are blocked by the county making access to them difficult.  There is also discussion that leads to the use of social networking in correlation to the online cataloging system.  The idea is that the program would allow users to rate and comment on books.  Some websites, such as Amazon, have already implemented this type of networking.  The views of others can be useful when selecting a book.  I have used these comments to help in my selection of materials.

Social Networking is Dangerous

Social networking sites are not always fun and games.  There have been some serious dangers that have developed as the Internet has become used more often.

          Online Predators - Online predators have become a real threat and many adults, parent especially, fear that children will unknowingly become victims for there people.  A social networking site is a dream for these predators because the users, teenagers or children, often put personal information without considering the repercussions.  There are also many younger users that can be susceptible to falling prey.  The most important thing is education about what should be shared online but the sites are trying to help by providing privacy controls that limit access to part or entire profiles.

           Spyware and Viruses - People who create these viruses often create fictional websites that link to the virus.  User knowledge is the best way to try to prevent these occurrences.

            Identity Theft and Stalking - The more personal information that is shared online the less protected you are.  There are people who take advantage of the vast amount of personal information that people put on the social networking sites.

             Cyber-bullying - The introduction of all the different types of media has created a new way for kids to pick on one another.  Cyber-bullying is a serious problem.  The Internet has allowed an area for rumors to be spread much faster and there is little way of connecting the perpetrator with the crime.  The sites are not usually monitored so victims often cannot do anything.  This is a problem that does not have a solid solution yet and needs to be addressed.

              Invasion of Privacy - The fact that social networking sites are on the Internet means that most people would be able to access the information.  Simply deleting the information is not sufficient as a record of it still remains on the Internet somewhere.  Those who are determined to find it will be able to.  Many employers look at these sites when looking at prospective applicant or current employees.  The information found could have unforeseen consequences.

              Addiction - These sites can become addictive.  The danger is that people will begin replacing real life actions and friends with ones in the cyber world.  This could potentially cause issues with the development of their social skills.  Also, many times focus is place on the amount of friends that a person has on a networking site but no emphasis is placed on the depth of the friendships.  I feel it better to have fewer meaningful relationships then many superficial ones.


The use of social networking in a media center has many possibilities.  It would be an additional way to appeal to the patrons.  However, there are many issues that should be considered to provide a safe environment for the students.