The development of
social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter has
dramatically changed how people interact with one another. The development has
opened up the room for participatory communication where audiences are no
longer passive consumers of media messages but ‘pro-sumers’. The tradition role
of information generation and distribution assigned to key players in
journalism and mass communication guided by professional tenets such as gate
keeping is no more functioning. Instead
people who have never seen the inside of journalism classroom or newsroom
develop content and sometimes command extremely high responses and attention
from information fanatics who give feedback to their content (Mushinge, 2008,
p.112). Regulation through draconian laws and bureaucracy in newsrooms are no
longer a threat to communicators.
The good thing with
social networks is that it has given
people the convenience of being able to connect with others all over the world
without having to step a foot out of their homes and also the rare cases that
crimes are sometimes solved through the help of a social networks (Alyssa and
Nick). Some scholars see social networks
as “social lubricants” in the sense that they help people who struggle with
relationships— the shy, the lonely, and people with low self-esteem— connect
with others in a comfortable environment. Shy people have difficulty finding
topics to talk about but today facebook gives them a starting point (Forest and
Wood, 2012; Baker and Oswald, 2010).
Sad Stories about Social Networks (Facebook)
I see social networks like a three
year little boy playing with his daddy’s gun, one mistake a boy can end the
lives of many. The idea behind this is that facebook is very dangerous when
misused but very productive when well applied. Seven sad stories about social
networks in general and facebook on particular are discussed here under.
- Social networks: An Enemy to Critical Thinking
The use of networks among university
students has become a quotidian activity that forms part of their daily lives. The
majority connects to the networks several times a day (53%), with the most
intense occurring between 19.00 and 00.00 hours (Gómez, Roses & Farias, 2012). The sad story
about social network comes when the majority users are students. A study by the
International Centre for Media and the Public Agenda (2010) reports that students use social networks
during lectures, while walking around campus, whenever they need to coordinate
with friends and listen to music while
studying. One student quoted saying;
Our cell
phones have become such a large part of our lives, it is the one thing I always
have with me at all times. It becomes a normal task to look at my phone every
few minutes, yes minutes. I am constantly on my phone. On average I probably
send a text message every minute or so. I am ashamed that I couldn’t go without
my phone for 24 hours…
A question is what should we
expect from such university students who are busy with such social networks to
the future of our nation? As I know university is a place where a person is
prepared to be critical thinker for the welfare of the society and this is
developed through reading and researching. A study by Carr (2006) concludes
that there is no serious reading and thinking to people addicted with social
networks.
- Lack Ethical Concern among social network
users
Online generation has
no sense of privacy or shame; the children of the internet age are ready to
bare their bodies and souls in a way their parents never could’ (Sunday Times,
2007).
It is a common phenomenon
to find facebook users posting half naked photos on their walls unaware that
such photos can have negative impact to their future lives. Some users are
engaging in love affairs without knowing each other. It is common for people to
talk about love affairs and when they meet they have to undergo sexual
intercourse and spread HIV. It has become the forum for prostitutes. Others use
the place as dictionary of dirty words.
Also players pretend to be someone else i.e. misrepresentation is a
natural part of online culture (Shyles, 2010).This
appears that there is little ethical concern about online lying. People in
general are more apt to lie online and the majority fully expects others to
lie. Users cheat their sexual status, pictures, level of education, place of
work and even their ages.
The problem with posting lies and other negative stuff would cause
difficulties in job seeking. For example almost
one in five technology industry executives say that a candidate’s social media
profile has caused them not to hire that person. What social network users fail
to understand is that there is no privacy in the internet. Once you post
anything nobody can delete it. Think of this message posted by one of facebook
users and ask yourself what will happen if this person goes for job interview
and the message is seen by his executive.
Yoyote
unaetamani Nchi Iingie Vitani... we ni kengeeee!
Unayemchukia Kikwete kwa sababu ya Ukristu wako... we
ni kenge!
Unayemchukia
Dr. Slaa kwa sababu ya uislamu wako... WE ni kengee!
Unayeipenda/kuichukia
CCM kwa sababu ya uislamu wa Kikwete... we ni kengeee!
Unayeichukia/kuipenda
chadema kwa sababu ya Ukristo wa Dr. Slaa... we ni kengee!
Unayeshabikia
wanaochoma makanisa... we ni kengeee!
Unayefurahia kile kitoto kukojolea Quruan tukufu... WE NI kenge!
Unaependa nchi iwe ya kislamu... we ni kenge!
Unayeota nchi iwe ya
kikristu... we ni kengeeeee!
Unaeidharau imani ya
mwenzako... we ni kengeee!
Unaefikiri dini yako ni bora sana kuliko ya mwenzako... we ni kenge!
Unayepost fb mambo
ya kuponda imani ya wenzako... we ni kengeee!
Unayefurahia upuuzi wa mtu kwa sababu tu yeye ni muislam/mkristu... we ni
kenge!
Unayetaka rais
muislam/mkristu badala ya uwezo wake wa kuongoza... we ni kenge!
Unayenichukia kwa
sababu ya ukweli huu... we ni kengeeee
It is a good message with poor choice of diction.
- Social Network is time-Wasting and Socially isolating
tool
It is commonly held that at best, social networking
is time-wasting and socially isolating (Livingstone,
2008). Studies show that youth online time varied from five to ten hours per day, but purely for
entertainment (Liu, 2008). Worse, these users socialize through the Internet
and it takes away from the in person socialization that has been around forever
(Kaitlin, 2010). It affects our social interaction by changing the way we
interact face-to-face. Social networks kill socialization as Arnold, 2012, p.1)
puts:
As
I sat down with my husband and children at our favorite restaurant I was
looking forward to finding out how everyone’s day had gone and to just have
some enjoyable family banter. However, as I looked around the table, all I saw
were the tops of my family’s heads, they were texting, playing games, and
surfing the internet with their cell phones. My youngest daughter, who is 9, had
her tablet and was playing angry birds. Not a word was exchanged. I asked them
a question; everyone held a finger up to me to hold me off for a few more
minutes.
What
is the matter?
As the literatures anywhere in this
book report that social networks among students is inevitable and it becomes
odd for one to live without. The society is scared of too much use of social
networks among the youth and seems to have no solution to it because
controlling the matter remains beyond their ability. Much concern is on the
fact that our relationship with the world of media is one of duality; we
dictate what media is, what stories are told in movie theaters and on the five
o’clock news, and our own world is shaped accordingly (Alyssa, and Nick, 2010).
However, Public policymakers in Western world especially in
Europe hope that media literacy skills developed through social networking will
protect youth from the online risks associated with transgressive
representations of the self and abusive contact with others (Livingstone, 2008). It is through media literacy that can build
up better understanding of how the media work in the digital world for the
youth to survive every sort of risks.
So, what is Media
Literacy?
Media
literacy is generally defined as the ability to access the media, to understand
and to critically evaluate different aspects of the media and media content and
to create communications in a variety of contexts (European Commission, 2007).
Having a critical approach to media as regards both quality and accuracy of content
(for example, being able to access information, dealing with advertising on
various media, using search engines intelligently); being aware of copyright
issues which are essential for a ‘culture of legality’, especially for the
younger generation in its double capacity of consumers and producers of content Koltay (2011). Media literacy could be a cure for
this. When you are media literate, you
have clear maps to help you navigate better in the media world so that you can
get to those experiences you want without becoming distracted by things that
are harmful to you. You are able to build the life that you want (Alyssa and Nick 2010).
Message to Network Users
Guys
don't use Facebook to tell the world your stupidity because there is no privacy
out there. The reality shows that social networks especially Facebook has become the latest home
breaker in town. It is wrecking relationships and causing divorce, with many
victims blaming relations hatched through internet at the expense of their
families. An old man, says, “I would not allow my wife to join that thing. If I
ever find out she is on Facebook, I will divorce her on the spot.” The man says
that he plays around with women on Facebook and knows from experience that this
is not the right place for a married woman. This is another impact of facebook
that the possibility of getting married while on facebook remains uncertain.
You should not be surprised therefore that, a considerable number of men
interviewed would not marry a woman with facebook account. The message is when you
are on facebook you need to behave positively for your future survival.