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Pros and Cons of Social Media

Social networking sites provide benefits like spreading information quickly and helping law enforcement catch criminals, but they also enable the spread of false information, lack privacy protections, and can be distracting for students. While social media allows people to strengthen relationships, heavy use has been linked to lower grades and relationship stress for some users. Overall, the document discusses both the pros and cons of social networking sites and whether they are good for society.

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Anjana Agnihotri
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334 views1 page

Pros and Cons of Social Media

Social networking sites provide benefits like spreading information quickly and helping law enforcement catch criminals, but they also enable the spread of false information, lack privacy protections, and can be distracting for students. While social media allows people to strengthen relationships, heavy use has been linked to lower grades and relationship stress for some users. Overall, the document discusses both the pros and cons of social networking sites and whether they are good for society.

Uploaded by

Anjana Agnihotri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Pro & Con Arguments: "Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?

"

PRO Social Networking Sites


1. Social

networking
sites
spread
information faster than any other
media. Over 50% of people learn about
breaking news on social media. [1] 65% of
traditional media reporters and editors use
sites like Facebook and LinkedIn for story
research, and 52% use Twitter. [2] Social
networking sites are the top news source for
27.8% of Americans, ranking close to
newspapers (28.8%) and above radio
(18.8%) and other print publications
(6%). [1] Twitter and YouTube users reported
the July 20, 2012 Aurora, CO theater
shooting before news crews could arrive on
the scene [3], and the Red Cross urged
witnesses to tell family members they were
safe
via
social
media
outlets. [4]

CON Social Networking Sites


1. Social

media enables the spread of


unreliable and false information. 49.1% of
people have heard false news via social
media. [1] On Sep. 5, 2012 false rumors of
fires, shootouts, and caravans of gunmen in
a Mexico City suburb spread via Twitter and
Facebook caused panic, flooded the local
police department with over 3,000 phone
calls,
and
temporarily
closed
schools. [79] Shashank Tripathi, tweeting as
@ComfortablySmug,
spread
false
information in the aftermath of Hurricane
Sandy by tweeting that the New York Stock
Exchange was flooding and that the power
company would cut off electricity to all of
Manhattan; the bogus information was
picked up by national news outlets including
CNN and the Weather Channel. [80]

2. Law enforcement uses social networking

sites
to
catch
and
prosecute
criminals. 67% of federal, state, and local
law enforcement professionals surveyed
think "social media helps solve crimes more
quickly." [5] In 2011 the NYPD added a
Twitter tracking unit and has used social
networking to arrest criminals who have
bragged of their crimes online. [6] When the
Vancouver Canucks lost the 2011 Stanley
Cup in Vancouver, the city erupted into riots.
Social media was used to catch vandals and
rioters as social networking site users tagged
the people they knew in over 2,000 photos
posted
to
the
sites. [7]
[8]
3. Social networking sites help students do

better at school. 59% of students with


access to the Internet report that they use
social networking sites to discuss
educational topics and 50% use the sites to
talk about school assignments. [9] After
George Middle School in Portland, OR
introduced a social media program to engage
students, grades went up by 50%, chronic
absenteeism went down by 33%, and 20% of
students school-wide voluntarily completed
extra-credit assignments. [10] [11]
4. Social networking sites allow people to

improve their relationships and make new


friends. 70% of adult social networking
users visit the sites to connect with friends
and family [12], and increased online
communication
strengthens
relationships. [13] 52% of teens using social
media report that using the sites has helped

2. Social networking sites lack privacy and

expose users to government and


corporate intrusions. 13 million users said
they had not set or did not know about
Facebook's privacy settings and 28% shared
all or nearly all of their posts
publicly. [81] The US Justice Department
intercepted 1,661 pieces of information from
social networking sites and e-mails in
2011. [82] The 2009 IRS training manual
teaches agents to scan Facebook pages for
information that might "assist in resolving a
taxpayer case." 4.7 million Facebook users
have "liked" a health condition or medical
treatment page, information that is
sometimes used by insurance companies to
raise
rates. [81]
[83]
3. Students who are heavy social media

users tend to have lower grades. Students


who use social media had an average GPA
of 3.06 while non-users had an average GPA
of 3.82 and students who used social
networking sites while studying scored 20%
lower on tests. [84] College students grades
dropped 0.12 points for every 93 minutes
above the average 106 minutes spent on
Facebook per day. [85] Two-thirds of teachers
believe that social media does more to
distract
students
than
to
help
academically. [86]
4. Social networking sites can lead to stress

and offline relationship problems. A


University of Edinburgh Business School
study found the more Facebook friends a

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